How to Train Your Wings of Fire
by ReptileGirl497
Summary: Alternate Universe where the HtTYD human characters are dragons. Windracer was never a normal dragon. He was raised under a mountain with other dragons, destined to be a hero he knew he could never be. But that's all about to change when the truth of his heritage catches up to him, and he ends up creating a prophecy that contradicts the one he always knew growing up.
1. Prologue

Prologue

 **In light of the latest Wings of Fire book, I just got this idea out of nowhere. It just started with the question, "if the HTTYD characters were dragons in Wings of Fire, what would they be?" And the rest was history.**

* * *

 _When the war has lasted twenty years...  
_ _the dragonets will come._  
 _When the land is soaked in blood and tears..._  
 _the dragonets will come._

 _Find the SeaWing egg of deepest blue_  
 _Wings of night shall come to you._  
 _The largest egg in mountain high  
w_ _ill give you the wings of sky._  
 _For wings of earth, search through the mud_  
 _for an egg the color of dragon blood._  
 _And hidden alone from the rival queens,  
_ _the SandWing egg awaits unseen._

 _Of three queens who blister and blaze and burn_  
 _two shall die and one shall learn_  
 _if she bows to a fate that is stronger and higher,_  
 _she'll have the power of wings of fire._

 _Five eggs to hatch on the brightest night,_  
 _five dragons born to end the fight._  
 _Darkness will rise to bring the light._

 _The dragonets are coming...  
_

* * *

An auburn-colored, female SkyWing backed into a corner, holding her egg close. She was surrounded by guards, their spears all pointing at her. A dark orange SkyWing wearing golden chainmail decorated with bright red jewels stood in the middle, behind the guards.

"You know that egg of yours is a oddity," said the chainmail SkyWing. "I'm only offering you a simple task, Auburn. Destroy the egg, kill your dragonet, and I'll let you go free."

The cornered SkyWing, Auburn, looked down at the egg she was holding in her talons. Yes, it was different from the other SkyWing eggs. It was larger, and a much darker shade of red than normal, it even had a few splotches of black.

But it was still her egg.

Auburn had been so happy when she first laid her precious egg. She knew who the father was, and she had spent so much time thinking up the perfect name for the dragonet, providing herself with different options that would depend on the gender.

She was not going to kill her own dragonet.

Auburn lifted her eyes so she was staring into those of the chainmail SkyWing.

"Never!"

No sooner after her shout of disapproval, Auburn spread her wings and took off, barely avoiding the spears that the guards thrust at her when she moved.

The chainmail SkyWing, who was none other than Queen Scarlet, scowled at the retreating mother. "Guards, after her! Destroy that egg!"

All but one of the SkyWing guards obeyed their queen. The one that didn't follow, an older SkyWing with purplish scales, just stood and watched. He knew Auburn well enough to know that she'd refuse to kill her own dragonet, and he wasn't going to be the one to force her to do such a dirty trick.

Queen Scarlet snarled at him. "Typical Osprey."

* * *

Auburn didn't stop flying, even when she could no longer see the guards that had been chasing her. She had flown into the mountains, where she knew she could find a safe place for her egg.

She just hoped she could get there before Scarlet's guards found her.

Finding the place was harder than usual, since Auburn was panicking and in a hurry. But eventually, she found what she was looking for - a large rock that was the entrance to a hidden cave she had visited a few times in the past few months. Breathing a sigh of relief, Auburn settled her precious egg near the hidden entrance before reaching into the small, leather pouch she always kept tied around her neck and pulling out a piece of parchment. Dipping one of her claws into a small patch of mud nearby, she hastily scrawled a message on the paper.

 _Please take care of my baby._

 _Windracer  
 _Skyhigh__

The sound of flapping wings alerted her that the guards were catching up to her. She hid the note near her egg and quickly scanned the area around her. Her eyes landed on a medium-sized rock that was shaped like her egg. Knowing it would have to do, she scooped it up in her talons and flew off in the opposite direction of where she knew the hidden cave was.

"There she is!"

The shouts of the guards and the sounds of powerful wingbeats following her were all Auburn needed in order to be sure her precious egg would be all right.

* * *

The three full moons shone brightly upon the mountain, a few beams even casting onto Auburn's egg. The egg wobbled a little in reaction to the light that was brushing against its shell. Then it turned a bright silver as a large crack appearing on its surface. A small snout poked its way through the eggshell, then a pair of bright green eyes. Soon, the whole head was out.

The dragonet didn't stop there. With a few grunts, he pushed his whole body out of the egg, with difficulty since his wings were quite large for a dragon his size. With one final push, he was out. Tumbling onto the hard, rocky ground, the dragonet stood on his shaky legs.

The spikes that ran down from the back of his head to the tip of his tail, and the skin of his wings, were pitch black, but his scales were all dark red in color. Small, white teardrop-shaped scales trailed down the sides of his neck, like drops of water falling from an icicle. His wings were much larger than they were supposed to be, and the undersides had scattered white scales, so when he spread them, they resembled the night sky. Finally, a single silver teardrop scale laid next to the corner of each of his two, emerald green eyes.

The dragonet looked up, hoping to find the eyes of his mother. But all he saw were the three full moons, their reflections shining brightly in his eyes.

A gust of wind blew the note Auburn had left with the egg into the dragonet's line of vision. Thinking it was a toy, he started chasing after it, chirping gleefully. The moment he caught it under his front paws, the large rock sealing a hidden entrance into a cave slid open, revealing a large SandWing with a tattered wing and an injured leg. The older dragon's eyes landed on the little dark red dragon, and he limped forward.

"Why didn't the NightWings tell us they delivered their egg?" he asked himself. "This little one should be inside with the others!"

The little dragonet looked up at him, his eyes showing fear at the older dragon's sudden yells. The SandWing looked down at him before noticing that the dragonet had something under his paws.

"What have you got there?"

Unable to answer verbally, the dragonet lifted his paws, revealing the paper. The SandWing picked it up and read what was written.

"Windracer and Skyhigh?" he muttered to himself. "Must be the names they picked for you. Better to discuss this with the other guardians inside the cave."

With that, he scooped up the dragonet into his talons and made for the cave entrance, which sealed shut behind them. Within moments, the two were in a cave room with a nest laying in the middle, a trio of differently colored eggs laying in wait. The SandWing had just placed the dark red dragonet into the nest when a grumpy-looking SkyWing barged in.

"Has the NightWing egg come yet?"

The SandWing pointed one claw at the dark red dragonet. "Apparently so."

The SkyWing's eyes flashed with anger. "Why didn't those half-brained toads tell us they dropped off the egg?! He was supposed to hatch with the others inside the cave, not outside by himself!"

The SandWing chuckled a little. "Tell that to him, Kestrel."

A cracking sound brought their attention to the pale white and sandy-yellow egg that was lying in the nest, among one that was colored of dragon blood and another that was an oceanic blue.

"Looks like the SandWing is hatching," Kestrel observed.

"It can't yet," said the older SandWing. "We have only four!"

Kestrel sneered at him. "Tell that to the egg, Dune."

All of a sudden, a third dragon, a SeaWing, flew in with a rainbow-colored egg in his claws. "I have it!"

Dune and Kestrel both turned to the dragon, their eyes landing on the egg he was holding.

"Webs," Kestrel snapped, "That's a RainWing egg, you brainless salamander!"

Webs shook his head. "It was all I could get!"

Dune pointed to the nest with his claw. "Put it with the others, quick!"

Webs didn't need to be told twice. He hastily placed the rainbow-colored egg with the other three eggs and the dark red dragonet, who was watching the white and yellow egg with interest. The SeaWing was about to question about the little dragonet when Kestrel started yelling at him.

"The prophecy calls for a SkyWing! And you bring us a lazy, stupid **_RainWing_**?!"

Webs hung his head. "Queen Scarlet destroyed all the SkyWing eggs that were due to hatch tonight. And we need five dragonets for the prophecy!"

Their argument was interrupted by Dune.

"Look!"

Both dragons turned their heads in time to see the baby SandWing break her shell and poke her little head out.

Dune gave a small smile. "She's hatched."

Soon the baby SandWing had pulled herself free of her eggshell prison, her unusually bright blue eyes landing on the NightWing dragonet that had been watching the whole time.

Webs' eyes shone for a second. "She's actually kinda cute. Besides the scorpion tail, that is."

Kestrel sneered. "If you ask me, she looks just as I expected."

The SeaWing ignored her. "We need a SandWing name for her."

Kestrel snorted. "Well, Dune's a SandWing. He should name her."

Dune nodded in acceptance to the proposal and stared intently at the SandWing dragonet. He thought hard for a moment before finally suggesting a name. "How about Arid?"

The word "arid" was an adjective, describing something too dry and barren to support life. The perfect SandWing name.

The newly-named Arid suddenly hissed, startling the NightWing dragonet. Squeaking fearfully, he jumped away from her, but ended up stepping on one of his own wings and falling over onto his back.

The three adult dragons stared at the poor little fellow as he tried and failed to flip himself over onto his stomach so he could get up. Webs tilted his head to the side. "Have you ever seen a NightWing with such large wings before?"

Dune shook his head. "No. None of the NightWings I've seen had wings like that."

A concerned Webs turned to Kestrel, who was picking up the NightWing dragonet between two of her claws. "Do you think there's something wrong with him?"

Kestrel scowled at the little dragon, whose bright green eyes widened at the sight of her. "He's just what we need," she said, sarcastically.

"A little weirdo."

* * *

 **Well, there you have it. The prologue. And I typed it all in just a couple of hours. It's amazing what you can do when your imagination is running wild. Here are the dragon-turned characters I've shown so far (in order of appearance):**

 **Auburn - Valka  
Windracer - Hiccup  
Arid - Astrid**

 **The similarity between the names of the last one was simply a coincidence. I was looking for a good name for a female SandWing and found "Arid" on the list of names, and decided that I liked it enough.**

 **So, yes, Windracer is a SkyWing-NightWing hybrid and has NightWing powers. Too bad the guardians don't know that.**

 **Like it so far? Leave a review.**

 **Don't like? No one's forcing you to read any further.**


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 **It's been a while since I've had two stories in production at the same time, and I don't know how I feel about that. Doesn't mean I won't give up on this crossover. Besides, it's not going to be even half as long as the other one I'm working on.**

* * *

 _6 years later..._

* * *

Windracer yelled out as he as thrown against the wall by an infuriated Kestrel. It was time for his dragon-fighting class, and it was going just as he expected.

"Fight back!" the SkyWing yelled out, her talons swiping dangerously close to her student's chest.

Windracer gulped nervously. "Well, maybe if you tried to be a little less violent, I could...OW!" He cried out in pain as Kestrel's back left paw stomped down on his tail. "You said stomping tails was cheating!"

"I'm your teacher," Kestrel snarled. "Nothing **_I_** do is cheating!" She swung her tail at him, yelling out instructions. "Roll right! Use your fire!"

Windracer tried to follow her orders, but he ended up tripping over his own wings and rolling the wrong way. The next thing he knew, Kestrel had him pinned against the cave wall.

"Are all NightWings this useless, or just you?!"

 _If you keep yelling like that, my hearing will be,_ Windracer wanted to say. But he knew saying that out loud would be like asking Kestrel to burn his oversized wings to a crisp. He winced as the SkyWing's talons dug into his scales.

"Where's the NightWing with the mind-reading and prophetic powers? That's the dragon we need for the prophecy!"

She suddenly yowled in pain as a set of teeth sank into the vulnerable spot near the end of her tail. She turned her head to find a young, female SandWing holding her tail in her talons and glaring at her.

"Stop bullying Windracer!"

Kestrel sneered. "Trying to save the dragon you wanted to kill when you were just hatched, Arid? Just as well. Mutant dragons like you two ought to stick together."

Windracer gained enough of his voice to protest. "We're not mutants!"

The SkyWing scoffed and let him go. "Class dismissed. I'll mark another failure in your scroll, NightWing."

Windracer sighed. Another typical day of fighting class. He was more skilled in studying scrolls and strategizing than actual claw-to-claw combat, but Kestrel didn't care. He got up and left the room with Arid beside him.

"You know," the SandWing said, "You really need to start sticking up for yourself one of these days."

The NightWing held his head. "Yeah, I know. But how can I do that with Kestrel stomping around and spitting fire at me for every day of my life? If I wasn't supposed to be a part of some Big Heroic Destiny, she'd have killed me a long time ago."

Arid sighed. "Well, at least you can stick up for others. But it seems like you mostly do it for me than for Bog and the RainWing twins. Even when they really need it."

Windracer shook his head frantically. "I don't know what you're talking about." Truth of the matter was, he'd had a rather large crush on the SandWing since he was old enough to start noticing females. He never told Arid, of course, out of fear of what she'd think of him.

He caught Arid giving him the look she always wore when she caught him in a lie. Windracer was never great at lying. He sighed. "I just...think that...maybe, since you're, um...not like most SandWings, like how I'm not like the NightWings I've read about in the scrolls, that...you could use more support."

He wasn't wrong. Arid wasn't like most SandWings. Her underbelly and the skin of her wings were a pale blue, which was **_not_** a normal SandWing color. Another clue was how her eyes were a bright blue instead of the usual black, which Windracer found very attractive on her. Then there were the spikes. A small number of unusual spikes were set on the back of her head and on her tail, near the place where her scorpion stinger was.

As Kestrel always said, Arid appeared to be some kind of mutant. But her egg fit the instructions in the prophecy, so she was their "wings of sand," whether the Talons of Peace liked it or not.

Of course, there were no "wings of rain" in the prophecy at all. Everyone under the mountain had heard how the RainWing twins - Marmoset and his sister Mango - were supposed to be a last-minute replacement for the SkyWing egg that had been lost years ago. Kestrel and Dune called them mistakes and growled at them a lot. Nobody knew if the prophecy could still work with RainWings instead of a SkyWing. But from what Windracer knew about SkyWings, he was glad they had the mischievous and prank-loving RainWing twins instead of another grumpy, fire-breathing Kestrel under the mountain.

Lagoon was a typical SeaWing. She loved spending most, if not all, of her time in the river, where she would catch fish and light the caverns with her luminescent stripes. But she always spoke in a tone of voice that made it seem like she was trying to keep a secret from her friends.

Then there was Bog. The MudWing that had hatched from a blood-red egg. Big-hearted and soft-spoken, he loved food more than almost anything else. While his friends were having the usual breakfast, lunch and dinner, Bog's idea of a well-balanced diet was exactly eight square meals a day.

But if anyone was likely to mess up the prophecy, it would be Windracer, not any of the other dragonets.

Arid chuckled. "I'm not any more odd than you. Your wings are huge and the wrong shade of color, and you don't seem to have any mind-reading or prophetic powers, which NightWings are supposed to have."

Windracer scowled a little. "Thank you for summing that up."

He wouldn't tell anyone, but Windracer had been having some odd things happening to him most recently. He'd get splitting headaches during the day, and at night he always had dreams of things that looked as though they would happen sometime in the future.

He also seemed to have some form of magic, too. He discovered it by accident one day when he was examining an lone fish swimming in the river. Feeling hungry, he had jokingly asked the fish to jump into his claws. And the fish had done just that. He hadn't known how he'd done it, but it worked again when he asked a fish-sized rock sitting at the bottom of the river to do the exact same thing.

He didn't use this power very often. He had a small wooden bowl that doubled the amount of whatever was in it (as long as it was asked politely), a beaded bracelet he made himself that protected whoever was wearing it from any harm, and an ordinary stick that made whoever was holding it invisible.

Windracer mostly used that last one to hide in his cave and read his scrolls undisturbed, as his friends would think he was absent and go to look for him somewhere else.

"Hey, guys!"

Windracer snapped back to reality at Lagoon's friendly greeting. He and Arid had reached the study hall, where they normally studied scrolls before turning in for the night. He smiled. It felt good to be among his friends. "We should probably do a quick study session before we go to bed."

"But studying is boring!" Mango complained. She and her brother were trying to come up with new, cool ideas for pranking the other dragonets.

Lagoon shrugged her wings. "Then we'll make it more active. We'll act out how the War of SandWing Succession began."

Bog groaned in disappointment as he finished what was left of the cow he'd been having for dinner. "Why can't we just turn in early? I'm beat!"

Marmoset laughed. "Yeah, I'm with Bog. What's the point?"

Lagoon shushed them. "Quiet! I'm assigning parts. Now, Arid will be Queen Oasis, since she's a real SandWing...more or less." She avoided Arid's glare by turning to face Bog. "You can be the scavenger, and this will be your claw." She picked up a broken stalagmite piece from the cave floor and handed it to the MudWing. "I'll narrate the play. So, the rest of you will be the princesses. Windracer, you'll be Blister, the smart one. Mango will be Burn, the eldest, and Marmoset, you'll be Blaze, the youngest."

"But I had to be Blaze last time, too!" the male RainWing whined.

He was once again shushed by the SeaWing. "Stop complaining and play along! Ahem. Years ago, there was a great and mighty SandWing queen, named Oasis."

Arid puffed out her chest and strutted into the middle of the room, gathering a pile of rocks with her tail. "I am Queen Oasis of the SandWings. No one dares to challenge me for my throne, I am the strongest SandWing queen who has ever lived!"

Windracer wouldn't admit it, but he absolutely loved the way Arid sounded so strong and brave and royal. It was like she was meant to be a queen.

"Don't forget the treasure," Lagoon whispered, pointing at the loose rocks Arid had gathered earlier.

"Right," Arid said. "I'm such an important queen, I have so much treasure."

Bog took this as his cue to leap in, wielding the stalagmite piece in his claws. "Did someone say _treasure_?" he bellowed with all his might.

Arid didn't even flinch. "Grrr! What's this pathetic little scavenger doing in my kingdom? I'll eat him in one bite!"

Bog shrunk down in fear. "Eep!"

"No!" Lagoon called. "You're not supposed to be scared! Okay, yes, you are, but not _**that** _scared!"

Bog nodded and swung his stalagmite in a circle. "Squeak, squeak, squeak! And other annoying scavenger noises! I'm here to steal treasure away from a magnificent dragon!"

Mango started giggling so hard she had to lie down and cover her face with her wings. Marmoset was also making faces like he was trying not to laugh.

Arid and Bog kept up the fake fight for a while before the MudWing drove the SandWing back against the wall and thrust the stalagmite between her neck and her wing, pretending it went right through her heart.

"Argh!" Arid howled, making Windracer jump. "Impossible! A queen defeated by a lowly scavenger! My kingdom will fall apart! And my daughters...what will they do...?" She collapsed to the ground and let her wings flop lifelessly on either side of her.

Her least favorite part of her role as Queen Oasis.

Bog laughed and gathered the rocks in his talons. "Squeak, squeak! The treasure is all mine!"

Lagoon cleared her throat. "When the three SandWing sisters entered the treasure room, they found the treasure gone and their mother dead as a doornail."

At her signal, Windracer, Mango and Marmoset stepped over to where Arid was lying motionless. The female RainWing clasped her talons together and let out a fake cry of anguish. "Oh, no! Our mother is dead, and the treasure is gone! But worst of all, none of us killed her! Who should be queen now?"

Windracer stood up tall to save whatever dignity he had left after six years of nearly being roasted alive by Kestrel. "I, Blister, was about to challenge her. I should be queen!"

"I, Burn, am the oldest and strongest," Mango said loudly. "I should be queen!"

Marmoset hesitated before speaking his line. "I, Blaze, am the youngest and would have the longest reign. I should be queen!"

Lagoon looked at him expectantly. "And...?"

The male RainWing sighed before adding, "And I am also, by far, the prettiest."

Even the usually serious and hard-to-humor Arid couldn't help laughing out loud at that.

Lagoon quickly pulled herself together. "And then they pick their armies and all that boring stuff."

Windracer was the next to compose himself. "It's not that boring. Not when you've gotten the handle on how it all works."

Mango groaned. "Here we go again."

Windracer ignored her. "Burn is allied with the SkyWings and MudWings. She's big and scary, and could squash her youngest sister like a bug. If she becomes queen, she'll probably just keep the war going just for fun. Blister is allied with the SeaWings, and is smarter than both of her sisters put together. But she's most likely plotting to become queen of all the tribes somehow. Blaze is the SandWing favorite, and she also has an alliance with the IceWings. Problem is, she's about as smart as a concussed sheep."

Marmoset glared at Lagoon. "You know I hate playing as her."

Bog called out from his position across the room with the rocks that were supposed to be the treasure in their little play. "So, who do we choose to be the queen?"

Arid stood up and shook her head. "None of them."

"Well, we have to choose someone," Mango said. "Who do you think's gonna be queen, Arid? You, yourself, and you?"

The SandWing snorted and glared at her friend.

The female RainWing gulped. "Just an observation."

A loud noise from one of the larger cave rooms caught their attention. Bog jumped back in fear. "What's going on?"

Windracer shook his head. "I don't know. Let's go see."

* * *

Kestrel, Dune and Webs didn't notice the six dragonets entering the room. They were too focused on another matter.

"Morrowseer is coming here?" Kestrel shouted. "Now?! What for?!"

Windracer knew that name. Morrowseer was the NightWing who wrote the prophecy. The one that told of five dragonets that would end the War of SandWing Succession.

Dune shrugged his wings. "Most likely to check on the dragonets."

"Isn't it too soon?" Webs asked. "It's not time for them to end the war yet."

Kestrel snarled at him. "Not just that, we don't have a SkyWing! What's Morrowseer going to think when he sees those stupid RainWings?! And the mutant SandWing, and that useless, good-for-nothing NightWing?!"

There was another loud noise near the entrance to the cave.

"We're about to find out," Dune grumbled.

As if on cue, a large, black dragon emerged from the shadows of the outside world, squeezing his way through the entrance, which closed behind him. His head held high, the NightWing made his way towards the other dragons, his mighty footfalls echoing throughout the cavern.

Windracer gulped nervously. The dragon's scales were as black as a bottomless pit, and he was enormous, even larger than Kestrel, with a ridged back, heavy talons, and strong claws. The starlike scales on his wings curled inward like a snail shell, and cast a cold glow. His teeth flashed like white lightning, and his black eyes held a sharp, threatening gaze.

Morrowseer had arrived.

* * *

 **If you look closely, you'll find some hints and foreshadowing in this chapter. If you don't, well, that's okay.**

 **Any of you who want a list of the dragon-turned characters who have appeared so far, here it is:**

 **Auburn - Valka  
Windracer - Hiccup  
Arid - Astrid  
 **Lagoon - Heather  
Bog - Fishlegs  
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut****

 ** **I can just as easily stop doing that, if you wish.****

 ** **I didn't originally plan to have Windracer be an animus, or for Arid to not be a normal SandWing (you can probably guess how). The ideas just came to me as I was writing.****

 ** **Reviews are appreciated.****


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 **Now let's see what Morrowseer thinks of the Dragonets of Destiny, shall we?**

* * *

Windracer stood frozen at the sight of the mighty NightWing. The mere sight of him was enough to give any dragon nightmares. The younger NightWing tucked in his wings are far as they would go, hoping that Morrowseer wouldn't notice.

 _...the Talons of Peace..._

Windracer looked around for the source of the voice. But no one's mouth was moving.

 _...are these really the dragonets?_

The young NightWing tried to hide the inevitable look of confusion and fear as best he could. He had no idea where the voice was coming from, but he had a feeling it had something to do with Morrowseer.

 _The MudWing and SeaWing look fine. What is going on with that NightWing? Isn't he...wait a minute._

The voice in Windracer's head ceased as the larger NightWing leaned his head down to get a better look at the RainWing twins. After glaring for a moment, Morrowseer spoke out loud. "What. Are. _**Those**_?"

There was enough venom in his voice to kill about fifty dragons in midflight.

Mango and Marmoset quickly shifted their scale colors to a reddish orange, hoping to make themselves look more like SkyWings. But Morrowseer wasn't fooled in the slightest. He turned to the guardians.

"There was an accident," Kestrel said. "We lost the SkyWing egg, so we had to get another one somewhere..."

"From the _RainWings_?" Morrowseer asked angrily.

"It was his idea," Kestrel snarled, pointing at Webs with her tail. "He brought their egg here!"

The SeaWing tried not to look guilty. "We needed five dragonets," he tried to explain.

Morrowseer then shifted his gaze to Windracer. The younger NightWing suddenly wished he was a RainWing himself, so he could hide from the older dragon's stony glare. Then he remembered that Arid was standing next to him, so Morrowseer was looking at them both.

"Are they supposed to be the NightWing and SandWing?" the older NightWing asked. "What's wrong with her? No SandWing I've ever seen has had spikes."

Without thinking, Windracer stepped forward. "There's nothing wrong with Arid!"

Now Morrowseer was looking at him fully. He growled to the guardians, "And where did you get this dragon?"

Dune stepped forward cautiously. "We thought you brought him here."

"I did not!" Morrowseer roared. "The NightWing I sent with the egg that was meant to hatch on the brightest night was found dead in the crossfire of a battle, and the egg was smashed. No one bothered to tell me until I was about to leave for the mountain. Now, where did you get him?!"

The old SandWing looked surprisingly relaxed. "I'm the one who found him. He was left outside the cave with a note I assumed was from his mother, asking us to take care of him. He'd already hatched, so I..."

Morrowseer turned around swiftly, a death glare burning in his eyes. "He _hatched_?! Before you brought him inside, his egg **_hatched_**?!"

"There's nothing wrong with that!" Lagoon shouted. "Windracer is a great dragon!"

Bog quickly chimed in. "Marmoset and Mango are great, too!"

Morrowseer glared at them. "Stop talking!"

The dragonets immediately went silent.

Morrowseer shut his eyes. "Something has gone very wrong here," he said.

"I'll say it has!"

It was Arid who had shouted her agreement to what the NightWing had said.

Kestrel glared at the younger SandWing. "Arid, hold your tongue!"

But Arid ignored her. "We've been hiding under this mountain our whole lives, destined to save Pyrrhia when we haven't even seen it! Those dragons have been treating us like we're nothing! Just wait until my parents hear about this!"

Of course, Arid never knew her parents, she had only been an egg after all. But she had a feeling that whoever they were, they were of high authority.

Naturally, Kestrel was very unhappy about the SandWing's antics. "Ungrateful lizard!"

Then, without warning, Morrowseer lunged at Arid.

Windracer started forward to defend the dragon he was so in love with, only to stop cold as something strange happened. He saw himself fighting Morrowseer, but it was different than what he had been about to do in that exact moment. For one, he was bigger, older, stronger. And he was mad at the older NightWing for something he hoped didn't involve any of his friends dying.

A roar brought the young NightWing back to reality. Lagoon was now in the fight, standing beside Arid. Both of them were snarling. Bog lay on the ground a few feet away, his attempt to attack resulting in Morrowseer shaking him off with ease.

Windracer crouched down low and snuck around back as he remembered his battle training. Specifically, what Arid had done during his lesson earlier. He jumped onto Morrowseer's long tail and bit down as hard as he could, right on the vulnerable spot near the end.

The large NightWing stiffened with pain, a sign that the younger dragon's technique had worked. Windracer suddenly found himself lifted off the ground, still clinging to Morrowseer's tail like a lifeline, and staring right into the older dragon's eyes.

"Ha," Morrowseer rumbled. "Now, that's a surprise." He pried Windracer off with his front talons, as though he was just a tiny insect. The younger NightWing avoided the prophet's eyes as he was set back down onto the cave floor.

"These two will do," Morrowseer said, pointing at Lagoon and Arid. None of the larger dragons had moved at all as he attacked the dragonets.

Neither did the RainWing twins.

"This one," Morrowseer studied Bog. The MudWing looked like he'd had a few too many extra helpings of cow meat. "We'll have to see about him."

"We followed the prophecy," Dune insisted. "Bog's egg was the color of blood, and I found Arid's alone, buried out in the desert."

Morrowseer paid him no mind. His attention was on Windracer. "I assume you used your NightWing powers to figure out I wasn't going to harm the SandWing. No doubt you already know that I'm going to take you into the next cavern for a private conversation."

Windracer felt chills down his spine. A "private conversation" with Morrowseer sounded about as much fun as getting his oversized wings roasted by Kestrel. He cast an apologetic glance back at his friends as the older NightWing led him to the study room. Morrowseer paused in the archway and looked back at the dragon guardians.

"We'll talk about _them_ later."

Windracer cast a glance at Marmoset and Mango, who were still colored in their SkyWing disguises. He wanted to give them some words of reassurance, but a forceful nudge from Morrowseer's tail got him back to the task of heading into the study room to hear whatever the NightWing prophet had to say.

Even from in the study room, Windracer could still hear Kestrel yelling at his friends, specifically Arid for complaining about their living arrangements. Morrowseer was trying to keep the younger NightWing focused on what he was saying, but Windracer was more focused on what he was hearing in his head.

 _I knew I couldn't rely on those Talons of Peace! A RainWing can't replace a SkyWing, and they've got two of those things! When I come back later, things had better have been dealt with! They may have found that SandWing's egg in the desert like the prophecy says, but there's something off about that one. And this NightWing is unlike any I've ever seen. What's wrong with his wings? He can't have possibly come from our tribe, no other NightWing has left the island since I sent the one with that egg for the prophecy. If the Talons of Peace can't tell me where he's from, I'll find out myself!_

Windracer was paying so much attention to the voice in his head that he missed what Morrowseer was saying. He found the older NightWing looking at him expectantly, and, after a moment, nodded awakwardly.

To his surprise, Morrowseer smiled. "Good, I'm glad you understand. Now go join the other dragonets, I'm sure they'll be eager to meet their official leader."

Leader? Morrowseer wanted him to be the leader of the Dragonets of Destiny?

This was officially the weirdest day of Windracer's entire life.

After getting over the shock, the young NightWing quickly exited the study hall and rushed into his room, where he started poking through the scrolls he always kept on a shelf that had been carved in the rocky wall of the cave.

"It's over here."

Windracer turned to find Arid holding a large scroll in her talons. He reached out and grabbed it, his talons brushing against Arid's. Instead of flinching in surprise like he usually did, he carried on with his task of rolling the scroll open and reading it.

Arid gave him a look of pity. "So, it was that bad?" _A NightWing Guide to the Dragons of Pyrrhia_ was Windracer's favorite scroll. He always read it whenever he was upset or stressed out with classes from the older dragons.

Windracer sighed. "I have a lot to learn."

"You already know everything," Arid said in a sort of teasing manner. "You've got to be the smartest dragon in all of Pyrrhia."

A long, sad breath whooshed out of Windracer's snout. "I meant about myself. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not like other NightWings. Well, not like the ones I've read about in these scrolls. I've always wondered why that was. Don't you ever wonder why you have spikes and that odd, blue color?"

Arid looked at her wings and tail before sighing. "Yes, I do. I've read some of these scrolls, and none of them say anything about SandWings with spikes. Kestrel is right, I am a mutant. But I don't let that stand in my way. And neither should you."

"Why bother?" Windracer asked, his voice heavy with depression. "This is obviously a test. I failed the day I hatched with these stupid, oversized wings."

Arid chuckled. "Well, at least you're not a RainWing."

She meant to try and cheer him up, but it clearly wasn't working. Windracer was so upset, he actually tore a corner of the scroll between his claws. Arid had never seen him upset enough to damage a scroll without noticing.

"Arid, there's...something you need to know about me. Just promise you won't tell anyone else."

The SandWing looked annoyed, but intrigued. "What is it?"

Windracer wasn't sure how to tell her. "I..." He hesitated, but sucked in a breath and forced his sentence out. "I could read Morrowseer's mind."

"So?" Arid didn't look very surprised.

"I never did it before," Windracer said. "Read anyone's mind, I mean. I always had powers, but I was afraid of the kind of dragon I'd become if I started using them the way Kestrel expected me to. Sure, she isn't a NightWing, but it was still terrifying for me to think about how she wanted me to use them. I didn't want to use my powers because I didn't want to hurt anyone, especially not you. So, I pushed them away, deep inside so I could never use them. But I couldn't keep them away forever. I've had a lot of headaches and weird dreams, and I didn't realize until now that it was because I couldn't force my powers to hide any longer. I can read minds, I can see the future, everything a NightWing can do. I'm sorry it took me so long to tell you."

Arid didn't answer.

Windracer continued. "There's something else I've been hiding. I've read about it in scrolls, but I didn't think I would be one of them. An animus. I found out by accident, I made a rock jump into my talons, a _rock_. That bowl I used to hold my snacks, I enchanted it to double the amount it contains. Then I made myself a beaded bracelet and enchanted it to protect anyone who wore it from harm, so I could get out of Kestrel's classes unscathed. I had to fake it though, so she wouldn't get suspicious. And those days someone needed to ask a question, but couldn't find me? I was in my room. I enchanted a stick to make whoever holds it invisible so I could read my scrolls in peace while everyone was looking for me. I know I should have told you about all of this sooner, but I'm telling you now. Because you're the one dragon I trust more than anything."

He expected her to be mad, or at least disappointed with him. He risked a glance to find her giving him a friendly smile.

"I appreciate you sharing all that with me, Windracer."

The NightWing smiled. "You won't tell any of the others, will you?"

"Well, odd dragons like us ought to stick together," Arid said. It was almost exactly what Kestrel had said to them earlier, but it sounded a lot nicer than how the grumpy SkyWing had remarked. "Can you tell me a little about your visions?"

Windracer returned his attention to his scroll before answering. "They first appeared as dreams. In most of them, I'm someplace I don't recognize, and my wings are on fire, but it doesn't seem to hurt. Then there's this one where I'm meeting a dragon I've never seen before, like an entirely new species. My most recent one was earlier, when Morrowseer lunged at you. I saw myself fighting him, but I was older, and I was mad at him about something, I don't know what." He'd also had a vision about having dragonets with Arid, but he wasn't going to tell her about that just yet.

Arid hummed in acknowledgement and interest. "Any prophecies?"

"None so far," Windracer replied. "But I don't think another NightWing prophecy is what we need right now."

The SandWing turned to leave. "Well, I think I'll go check and see how the others are doing. Hopefully I won't walk into another one of the twins' pranks this time."

Windracer chuckled in amusement. He watched Arid leave his room before returning to his scroll. Suddenly, he was overwhelmed with a powerful headache. He clutched his head in his talons and grit his teeth as he tried to ignore the pain.

" _Beware the dragon who travels through dreams_ "

The words just popped into his head without a voice, and for some reason he was speaking them out loud.

" _Beware the one who is not what he seems_ "

He didn't know what was bringing this on, but the words were accompanied with visions. Dragons dying, the figure of Morrowseer towering over everyone, and himself with his wings ignited with flames.

" _The dragon whose fate is stronger and higher_  
 _Will have the power of wings of fire_ "

As the visions died down, one last piece of what Windracer knew was a fragment of a prophecy rolled off his tongue.

" _It's time to race the wind..._ "

Finally, his headache subsided and the visions stopped. Now that he was no longer cringing in pain, he could hear something going on outside his room. He quickly raced out to the large cavern, only to skid to a halt, horrified.

Kestrel was blasting fire at an iron chain that was wrapped around a stalagmite, the metal melting into a bubbling mess and welding together. Behind her, Morrowseer was holding Bog and Lagoon back with his tail and wings as the two dragonets tried to climb over him. But the most terrifying sight to Windracer was the dragon that that had the iron chain wrapped around her neck and one of her legs so she couldn't move.

Arid.

* * *

 **Well, that happened. I'm not exactly an expert on how NightWings with the power to read minds are able to do it, and since it was Windracer's first time actually using it I thought it would be simplest for him to read what the other dragons were thinking to themselves.**

 **As for that fragment of a prophecy, I couldn't reveal the whole thing without spoiling the plans I have for this story. Best to stay tuned for what's to come, and maybe leave a review.**

 **Auburn - Valka  
Windracer - Hiccup  
Arid - Astrid  
** **Lagoon - Heather  
Bog - Fishlegs  
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut**


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 **Let me make a few things clear. Yes, Darkstalker will appear in this, but I'm not sure when exactly. I also might have at least one of the dragonets go to Pantala.**

* * *

Windracer wanted to do something, anything, to stop the guardians from chaining the dragon he loved. But what could he do to stop them without accidentally exposing his powers and animus magic, or worse, hurting one of his friends?

"Why are you doing this?" Lagoon shouted. "Arid is a great dragon! If anyone can save the world, it's her!"

"Actually, SeaWing," Morrowseer rumbled, "The dragonet you should believe in is Windracer over there." He nodded to Windracer, who was still frozen in shock over what they had done with Arid. "NightWings are natural leaders. You do what he says, and you'll be alright."

But Windracer could hear Morrowseer's thoughts speaking an entirely different story.

 _I'll have to deal with that little freak later._

Was there any dragon that wasn't wishing Windracer didn't exist?

Morrowseer headed for the exit, stopping to look back at the guardian dragons. "I'll be back tomorrow, to make sure everything has been...dealt with."

"We understand," Kestrel said.

Dune rolled the boulder aside, leaving Morrowseer free to exit the caverns. Windracer let out a sigh of relief as the large NightWing disappeared into the blackness without a single backward glance.

"This is for your own good," Webs tried to explain to an infuriated Arid. "We only want to keep you safe. Maybe this isn't the perfect way, but..."

"But dragonets don't know what's best for them," Dune finished as the boulder rolled back into place. "You need us, whether you like it or not."

Kestrel snarled at the group. "All of you, go to bed. I don't want to hear a squeak out of anyone until morning."

Arid gave the SkyWing a devilish smirk. "Really? And what if I feel like singing all night?" She then started singing. " _Oh, the dragonets are coming! They're coming to save the day! They're coming to fight, for they know what's right, the dragonets, hurray!_ "

She was singing too loud to notice Windracer humming along to the tune merrily. Arid's singing was just another thing on his mental list of things he loved about her.

Dune glared at Webs. "I told you not to teach them that horrible song."

" _OH, THE DRAGONETS ARE COMING!_ " Arid sang even louder.

Kestrel stomped over to the SandWing, her eyes flashing dangerously. "We have more chains! We could throw one around your snout if you would like me to force you to be quiet! Or we could chain up your friends! Perhaps that mutant NightWing would like to spend the night hanging from a stalactite!"

Arid paused, then begrudgingly snapped her jaws shut.

"Much better," Kestrel said. She then turned and stomped off into the tunnel, with the other two guardians following, but Webs looked rather reluctant.

Finally, Windracer was able to move enough to try and tug at Arid's chains. But even using both his talons and teeth didn't do anything at all to the sturdy metal.

"Windracer, stop," Arid whispered. "You know what you have to do. Go, get the stick!"

The NightWing knew what she meant. She wanted him to use the stick to make himself invisible so he could spy on the guardians. He never gave any thought to using it for such a purpose whatsoever, but she was right.

This time, the usage of his animus powers was really important.

Windracer had probably entered his room faster than he ever had before. He easily found the Invisibility Stick, as he called it, tucked away underneath his bed, where he always kept it. As soon as his talons wrapped around the thin piece of wood, he disappeared.

Well, not really disappeared.

He was just invisible.

He padded out of his room, his grip on the stick tight so it wouldn't slip out of his grasp and expose his position. He treaded lightly past the other dragonets and into the tunnel the guardian dragons had gone through. He stopped when he was near enough to hear their voices.

"When tomorrow?" Webs asked.

Kestrel spoke next. "He'll be back by midday. It has to be done by then." Her next sentence came out in the form of a snarl. "He doesn't want to see them again."

Windracer clenched his talons around the Invisibility Stick. They had to be talking about Marmoset and Mango.

"Well, I'm not doing it," Webs said.

Dune rumbled, "No one thought you would."

"Even though this is all your fault," said Kestrel.

Windracer could imagine the guilty but well-meaning look the SeaWing was wearing. "We needed five dragonets. I had no way of knowing that RainWing egg was holding twins. What's Morrowseer going to do about that?"

"He'll find us a SkyWing," Kestrel said. "Properly this time. No colorful substitutions."

They all went quiet for a moment, giving Windracer time to think. As far as he knew, the Queen of the SkyWings, Scarlet, had destroyed all of the SkyWing eggs that were supposed to hatch on the brightest night six years ago. Where in all of Pyrrhia would Morrowseer find a SkyWing that fit into the prophecy?

"What about Arid?" Dune asked, suddenly. "He said to get rid of her, too."

Windracer couldn't see them, but he thought Webs may have jumped about a foot into the air. "What? But we followed the prophecy! Her egg was alone in the desert, Dune found it there himself! Morrowseer said he approved of her earlier!"

"But she's no SandWing," Kestrel snapped. "You and Dune know that as much as I do."

Again, silence.

"So, how and when," Dune said in his no-nonsense military voice. "Drowning would be simplest."

"I joined the Talons of Peace to _stop_ killing dragons," Webs said. "I won't argue with Morrowseer, but I'm not doing it myself."

"It has to be me," Kestrel said in a very tense voice. "Those two are just RainWings who frolic about pulling pathetic little pranks on everyone here. Besides, Dune wouldn't hurt Arid even if he wanted to."

Windracer knew it was true. Even though Arid had all her spikes, blue color, and talons that were way too sharp and serrated for her species, Dune wouldn't lay a claw on her. Every now and then, he'd look at her as if she was his own daughter. But Windracer knew Dune wasn't Arid's father. He was looking into the SandWing's mind and had found a name that belonged to a close friend of his - Ocotillo.

But there wasn't time for the young NightWing to question it.

"I'll do it tonight while they're all sleeping," Kestrel continued. "I can get in there and break their necks before the other three even know what I'm doing."

Shudders of horror were running through Windracer so violently that he was afraid the cave wall he was leaning on would start shaking. He padded slowly backwards, but froze when he heard his name.

"What about Windracer?" Dune asked. "I've seen the way he looks at Arid. Poor little dragonet's got a big crush."

"He'll definitely try to stop you," Webs said. "He's not a great fighter, but he's devoted to her and the other four."

Dune sighed. "It's not natural, that much kindness and loyalty in a dragon. Especially to dragons outside your own tribe."

"I can handle him," Kestrel said. "Even if he finally unleashes his NightWing powers like we want him to, there's nothing he can do to stop me."

Windracer turned and started back down the tunnel the way he came. But he was still near enough to hear Kestrel's last statement.

"Arid and the twins will be dead by morning."

* * *

"They wouldn't!"

The shout came from a horrified Bog, who had nearly choked on the cow meat he had been eating.

"Believe me, they would," Lagoon said sadly. "They'll do anything if they think it's right for the prophecy."

Everyone looked at the RainWing twins, who seemed blissfully unaware of their conversation as they gathered a few live crabs they were probably planning to slip into Bog's breakfast.

"But we can't let them," Windracer said. He had dropped his stick on the ground, so that they could all see him, plain as day. "There has to be more to the prophecy than what we've been told."

Lagoon was too busy studying the stick on the ground to pay him any mind. "How did you know that stick could turn you invisible?"

Windracer's heart leapt up into his throat as he turned to look at Arid. The SandWing gave him and encouraging nod. He took a deep breath, in and out, before he began.

"I enchanted that stick to make whoever holds it invisible because I'm an animus. You didn't see it as I was passing through because I made it so the stick also becomes invisible when it's being held, to avoid suspicion. That's why no one could find me in my room, I was using it to study my scrolls in peace. I haven't used it much, mostly because I don't want to end up like the animus dragons I've read about. They all let the power go to their head, and they think they can get away with doing whatever they want with those powers. I'm not like those dragons, and I never wanted to be.

"I have NightWing powers, too. But I've been suppressing them all this time because I was afraid of the kind of dragon I might become if I did use them. I was afraid of hurting all of you, so I tried to hide it all. But I can't. Not anymore."

Arid and Lagoon nodded in understanding. As did Bog, who had bits of cow meat sticking out from between his teeth. Marmoset and Mango were still gathering crabs, each daring the other to clip a pair on their ears, completely unaware of what was going on.

"Windracer!"

Everyone jumped at the sudden shout, but relaxed when they realized it was Webs. The young NightWing composed himself as best he could. "Yes?"

The SeaWing looked rather baffled for some reason that was made clear when he stated, "Kestrel's sister, Auburn, has just arrived, and she's asking for you."

Windracer was so surprised, he actually turned around, expecting to find another dragon named Windracer standing behind him. Finding no other dragon, he slowly turned back to Webs. "Me? Are you sure?"

The SeaWing shrugged his wings. "She's looking for a dragon that goes by the name of either Windracer or Skyhigh."

The young NightWing let out a shaky breath as he followed Webs out into the opening where the entrance to the cave was. Sure enough, there was another SkyWing, whose auburn scales looked rather dark and dull when compared to Kestrel's rust-colored scales. The two sisters were arguing back and forth when Auburn's eyes suddenly landed on Windracer. Her eyes instantly went as wide as they could go, and she took a step forward.

Webs slowly padded away to join Kestrel and Dune, both of whom looked to be quite confused and disturbed.

Windracer's eyes never left Auburn's, which were close to the color of sunshine and prettier than Kestrel's orange eyes. With every step forward the SkyWing took, he took a step back. Soon, the young NightWing found himself backed up against the wall of the cave. He just stood there as Auburn kept getting closer.

Finally, when she was about three feet away, she stopped.

"...Windracer?"

The young NightWing gulped nervously before he started rambling. "Yes, that's my name. Listen, whatever you want me for, I'm sure we can work something out, I mean, I've never been outside this cave, and I really don't want to cause any trouble. Not that I'm complaining, it's not that bad in here, and to be honest, I was outside when I hatched. My egg was left outside the cave and I was found alone, by Dune." He pointed to the SandWing. "He took me in to be raised by the Talons of Peace, along with the other dragonets of destiny. After all, I fit the prophecy..." He hesitated, then added, "And I don't think my parents really wanted me."

Auburn's eyes were sparkling with what appeared to be unshed tears as she stepped forward and grasped Windracer's front talons in hers. The young NightWing cried out in surprise, and found that all he could see were the kind, caring eyes of the SkyWing.

"I wanted you," Auburn said fiercely. "You were the only thing I wanted. Scarlet wanted me to kill you, but I could never! I took you away, into the mountains, with the guards chasing me. I hid you near the cave, where I knew my sister would find you. She's not much of a family dragon, but she's the one I trusted the most to keep you safe. I wanted to come back for so long, but I was afraid I'd lead Scarlet and her guards to the cave. I'm sorry I was away for so long. But I'm finally here."

As nice as it was having Auburn's grip comforting him, Windracer went cold with shock and dread. He'd wondered why he didn't look like a normal NightWing his whole life. Of all the theories he'd ever imagined...yes, this one had crossed his mind, but of all the tribes he'd wondered about, never this one.

Never, never this one.

Auburn gripped his claws tighter. "Windracer, I'm your mother."

* * *

 **That happened.**

 **Bet you guys weren't expecting Auburn to be Kestrel's sister, did you?**

 **The events in this story will be moving along a lot faster than in the original book series, but not because I want to rush through it. I just don't want this story to go on for too long, like no more than fifty or so chapters. Plus, I'm all about getting into the excitement.**

 **Auburn - Valka  
Windracer - Hiccup  
Arid - Astrid  
** **Lagoon - Heather  
Bog - Fishlegs  
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut**


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 **Feel free to let me know if this is going too fast.**

* * *

First, silence.

Then Kestrel snarled. "This dragon is _your_ son?! You're always doing stupid things, Auburn, but this?! Why do I even bother calling you my sister anymore?"

Poor Windracer didn't know what was more shocking - that he was half SkyWing, or that Kestrel was his aunt.

"This may not be so bad," Webs said. "Think about it. We may have had our SkyWing all along."

Kestrel shifted her glare from her sister to the SeaWing. "He's not a SkyWing! He's not even a NightWing! He's nothing but a freak!"

Auburn lifted her talons to cover Windracer's ears, but it was too late. He already heard it. The young hybrid reached up and removed his mother's talons.

"What about my father?" Windracer asked. A look of horror dawned on his face as a sudden, horrible thought plagued him. "It's not Morrowseer, is it?"

"Bright smashing suns, no," Auburn said, her voice wavering with surprise at her son's question. "What a horrible thought. No. Your father, Killer, is...not around anymore. We can talk about that later. Gather your things, Windracer. We're leaving this place."

"He can't leave," Dune said. "He's a dragonet of destiny. He needs to stay hidden until it's time to fulfill the prophecy."

Auburn shook her head sadly. "There is no prophecy."

Webs and Dune looked shocked, while Kestrel looked more apathetic.

"What do you mean there's no prophecy?" Webs asked.

Auburn pointed for Windracer to leave the room so she could discuss things with the guardians. He did, rushing into his room and gathering all of his belongings into a small, leather pouch he made himself. He also packed the Invisibility Stick, which only worked when a dragon was physically holding it, in case he'd need it later. As soon as he was finished packing, he tied the leather pouch around his neck and ran back out to hear what the older dragons were saying.

"The NightWing I met, Killer, is one of Morrowseer's followers," he heard Auburn say. "I didn't know it at the time I met him. When we started...getting acquainted, so to speak, he told me everything I ever wanted to know about his kind. The NightWings haven't had telepathy or precognition in several hundred years. Morrowseer made up the prophecy so he and the other NightWings could take over the rainforest and win the war. But Killer was different. He was supposed to serve as a sort of assassin, killing anyone who opposed the NightWings. But he was kind to me. I can't explain how it happened, but I couldn't help but fall in love with him. He left one night before I had the chance to tell him I was with egg. My son is the only thing I have left of Killer. I knew I had to protect him, so I brought him here to you."

Kestrel scoffed. "You really believe everything that bone-headed lizard told you? NightWings will do anything to make themselves more important than other dragons."

"He told me because he knew he could trust me," Auburn insisted. "Killer has never lied to me, and there'd have been no point for him to start then."

Dune rumbled. "She has a point."

"So, then, what do we do now?" Webs asked.

"I am taking my son with me," Auburn said. "He's gone long enough without the knowledge of his heritage."

"You know you can't bring him to the Sky Kingdom," Kestrel said with a snarl. "The Queen will have both of you executed without a second thought."

Windracer couldn't stop himself from entering the room. "What about my friends?"

Auburn didn't seem surprised that her son had overheard the conversation. "Windracer, I don't think we can take any more dragons with us..."

"But they were going to kill Arid!" Windracer blurted out.

The mother SkyWing froze for a few seconds before turning to look at her sister. "Is it true?"

Kestrel didn't answer.

"It wasn't our idea," Dune said. "Morrowseer ordered us to kill her."

"We followed the prophecy," Webs added. "The SandWing egg was found alone in the desert."

"The prophecy is not real," Auburn reminded him, heavily emphasizing the last two words. "It's all a lie. Morrowseer will do anything to make sure everything goes as he's planned."

Windracer shook his head. "But, how can it be fake? Does this mean the Talons of Peace have been keeping us under this mountain for nothing?"

"That, I believe," Kestrel said. She had turned so she was facing the wall instead of her sister.

Windracer waited until Auburn turned back to look at him before he continued. "Mom, I'm not leaving without my friends. They're the only family I've had my whole life. There has to be something you can do."

The much kinder SkyWing thought for a moment before shrugging her wings. "I suppose I could escort them all to their homelands."

"And what about the war?" Dune asked.

Auburn looked from him, to Webs, to Kestrel, then back to Dune. "We'll have to find a way to end it ourselves. Prophecy or no prophecy, this fighting has to stop before the SandWing sisters kill everyone."

"So, does that mean we all just go home?"

Everyone turned to find the other five dragonets gathered near the river. It was Lagoon who had asked the question.

Windracer was stunned to see Arid free of the chains. "How did you get out?"

Arid shrugged. "Turns out me and Bog combining our fire was all it took to break the chains. I'm probably gonna be a little sore, though."

"Is she Arid?" Auburn asked, pointing to the SandWing. "The one they were going to kill?"

Bog nearly fell over. "What?! They were going to kill Arid, too?!"

"Morrowseer's orders," Webs grumbled.

Auburn stepped towards the gathered dragonets. She noticed the RainWing twins, but didn't seem to consider questioning it. "All of you, gather whatever belongings you have. I'm taking you out of here."

All of a sudden, Windracer seized up as the most painful headache he'd ever had in his whole life struck him like a lightning bolt. He fell on his side, his talons clutching his head. Auburn was by his side in an instant.

"Windracer!"

The hybrid barely heard his mother's cry as multiple visions flashed in and out of his mind. Dragons dying, the three SandWing princesses, and infuriated Morrowseer, an unfamiliar dragon that looked like a giant wasp, his own wings ignited with flames. Words were marching through his head and out of his mouth, inexorable and strange.

" _An ongoing fight for an empty throne  
A nightmare hidden within a hive  
Unite all talons on two continents,  
Or none of the tribes will survive_

 _A danger lurks beneath the ground  
A secret lies within a book  
The strength within can save the lives  
Of those brave enough to look_

 _Beware the dragon that travels through dreams,  
Beware the one who is not what he seems,  
The dragon whose fate is stronger and higher  
Will have the power of wings of fire_

 _It's time to race the wind..._ "

Slowly, Windracer's headache subsided, and he found himself looking into the eyes of a concerned Auburn. The SkyWing was shocked.

"I don't understand," Auburn muttered. "The NightWings haven't had prophetic powers for hundreds of years. How did you do that?"

The young hybrid looked up at his mother. "I have those powers," he said. "I hid them from the guardians because I was afraid of what they'd make me do with them. I didn't know the NightWings couldn't do that anymore."

"You had powers all along?!" Kestrel shouted at the top of her lungs. "You slimy, lying, little...!"

Auburn quickly covered her son's ears. "Kestrel, don't!"

The grumpy SkyWing reluctantly snapped her jaws shut. Thin wisps of smoke were coming out of her mouth and nose.

Windracer groaned as Auburn helped his to his feet. "Thanks, Mom." He meant for it to be a whisper, but it was loud enough for the other dragonets to hear.

"That's your _mother_?!" Arid asked. She was more surprised than Windracer had ever seen.

Bog sat down, hard. "Well, that would actually explain a few things."

The RainWing twins didn't quite take that news in the same way. "Windracer has a SkyWing mother," Marmoset uttered. Then he and his sister exclaimed simultaneously, "Awesome!"

Dune, however, was more focused on a different matter. "If that prophecy he just delivered was real, what could it mean?"

Webs was also confused. "A nightmare in a hive? Two continents? A danger beneath the ground?"

Any other question that could be asked vanished like dust in the wind as Auburn approached Dune and grabbed the key he always kept on a chain around his neck. She fit the key into a grooved niche in the stone wall and turned it before pushing the boulder that was blocking the only entrance and exit to the caves to the side, revealing the outside world.

"We'll have to figure out the meaning of that prophecy later," Auburn said. "Everyone, follow me."

Windracer was the first to step out of the cave, after his mother. The sky above him was still quite dark, despite the pinkish-orange line on the horizon that signaled the approaching dawn. Two crescent moons and scattered stars were also providing light. Windracer looked up at the moons, whose light reflected in his eyes, like the night he had hatched.

Wait.

The moons!

"Mom," he found himself saying. "Did my father ever say where the NightWings lived?"

Auburn shook her head. "The only thing he ever told me about their home was that they have a lot of volcanoes there."

Windracer knew from reading so many scrolls throughout his life that volcanoes produced smoke and ash, which, in large quantities, would be enough to block out the moonlight. But he had hatched outside the guardians' cave, under the three full moons of the brightest night. That had to be the answer!

Before he could tell Auburn about the revelation he just had, Bog suddenly barreled past Windracer. The RainWing twins soon followed, colored gold with excitement as they used Windracer, who was struggling to stand from the force of the MudWing's accidental push, as a launch pad. The hybrid cried out as he ended up sprawling into the dirt. Arid and Lagoon then padded out into the open, prompting Windracer to quickly pick himself off the ground and straighten himself. The sound of laughter brought their attention to a now overjoyed Bog, who was rolling around in the dirt.

"I'm not usually that happy about getting dirty," Windracer muttered under his breath.

"Bog is, apparently," Arid said, which startled Windracer. "And we're not even at the MudWing swamps yet. I wonder if I'll be this excited when I get to the desert."

Windracer didn't know how he could have forgotten that SandWings had a sharpened sense of hearing. He needed to be careful about what he said around Arid. Who knew what would happen if she ever heard him talking about his crush on her.

"So, where do we go, now?" Lagoon asked. "Personally, I'd like to see the ocean, but I know better than to argue with a SkyWing."

Auburn turned to look at the young SeaWing and gave her a warm smile. "Wherever you young ones want to go, we'll go." Her smile suddenly dropped, and she spoke in a more serious manner. "But we'll need to be careful. There aren't many dragons out here you can trust, so stay close to me at all times."

No sooner after she finished her warning, there was a loud, angry roar and a burst of flames from the distance. A minute later, Marmoset and Mango flew over and landed near their friends.

"Somebody sure is cranky," Mango said. Any other dragon would have been shaken, but there was excitement and joy in her voice instead.

The same applied to her brother. "And I thought Kestrel was the grumpiest dragon ever!"

The sound of wingbeats signaled that whoever Marmoset and Mango had run into was rapidly approaching their location.

Arid glared at the color-changing twins. "What did you do?!"

"Ask for directions," Marmoset said bluntly.

"And I may or may not have asked her if I could have the jewelry she was wearing," Mango added nervously.

Auburn's eyes went wide with realization and fear. "We need to get out of here. Now!"

Too late.

An orange SkyWing dragon, slightly smaller than Auburn, landed in the clearing across from them. Wreaths of smoke curled around her horns. True to what Mango said, golden chainmail decorated with bright red jewels was fitted around the dragon's torso.

Auburn gasped loudly at the sight of the new SkyWing. Bog picked himself up out of the dirt and ran to hide behind Windracer's mother, along with the RainWing twins. The orange dragon paid no attention to them. She was smiling wickedly at the SkyWing that was standing before her.

"Auburn? How thrilling. I've been looking for you for an awfully long time."

Windracer noticed the look Arid was giving the orange SkyWing, and before he could stop her, she threw herself between Auburn and the strange dragon. "Who are you?" the young SandWing demanded fearlessly. She wasn't afraid to fight this dragon.

The dragon chuckled as she held her head high. "My name is Scarlet. But I highly recommend you call me 'Your Majesty' if you want to live."

Windracer inhaled sharply.

They were all standing face-to-face with the queen of the SkyWings.

* * *

 **Leave it to the twins to stir up trouble, right?**

 **Any questions related to The Two Continents Prophecy, as I call it, I will answer through private messaging.**

 **Auburn - Valka  
Windracer - Hiccup  
Arid - Astrid  
** **Lagoon - Heather  
Bog - Fishlegs  
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut  
Killer - Stoick**


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 **I guess now things will start to get a little more exciting.**

* * *

For a moment, the only thing Windracer could hear was the loud thump-thump of his hammering heartbeat. They were in the presence of the one dragon that wanted Auburn dead more than anything else.

"It's funny," Scarlet said as she slowly circled the group. "Me and my guards go out searching for a scavenger that stole some of my treasure, and instead I find the SkyWing that has so long evaded me."

Auburn raised her wings to shield the dragonets.

That didn't stop Scarlet from seeing them. "Now, why would a NightWing, a SeaWing, and a MudWing be hiding out in my mountains? Along with whatever sort of SandWing that is and those two color-changers? This wouldn't have anything to do with a certain prophecy, would it?"

"What is going on out there?" Dune grumbled, limping out of the nearby cave. He stopped short at the sight of the SkyWing queen. Windracer could see fear on the older dragon's face for the first time ever.

"Webs!" he yelled, and then the maimed SandWing hurtled himself toward the queen.

Then out of nowhere, a pair of SkyWing guards swooped down and pinned Dune into the dirt. More guards arrived, each trapping the tails and wings of Auburn and the dragonets with their talons.

"I was hoping you'd all see my fire signal," Scarlet said with a wicked croon that was going to haunt Windracer's nightmares for the rest of his life.

Webs came pounding out of the cave, only to be pinned to the wall by yet another SkyWing guard.

"These dragonets are sacred," Dune shouted as Queen Scarlet approached him. He could see Auburn shaking her head, but he ignored her. Morrowseer's prophecy may have been fake, but they needed to keep that a secret for the sake of all the dragons in Pyrrhia that believed it was real. "They're the dragonets of destiny! You can't have them!"

"But what if it's _my_ destiny to play with them?" Scarlet said. "Oh, wait, that's right. I don't care about destiny. I don't care about prophecies or any of that NightWing silliness." She slashed at Dune's face, leaving claw marks. "Besides, they made me awfully mad and then ran away. That happens to me far too often, but you know what? I always find the ones who betray me in the end. Even if I have to wait six or seven years." The queen seized Dune's neck and lifted him up. "Right, Auburn?"

Windracer tried to throw the guard that had him pinned off of his wings. The SkyWing was relatively young, around a few months older than him, but he was still quite strong. He was able to keep Windracer pinned to the ground without any problem. The hybrid saw Kestrel slide out of the cave.

"Poor, poor Scarlet," she said bitingly. "Everyone betrays you." She eyed Auburn coldly.

Knowing her older sister would likely let the queen take her without a second thought, Auburn lifted her head as best she could with another SkyWing holding her down. "You have me, Scarlet. Take me and let the dragonets go, they have nothing to do with the SkyWings!"

"You _will_ come with me," said Queen Scarlet. "Funny that you thought you had a choice about that. We've got a thrilling trial planned, followed by an even more thrilling execution."

Windracer couldn't help but shout in protest. "No!" He immediately regretted that as the SkyWing queen shifted her glare to him.

Scarlet let go of Dune, padded over to Windracer, and got a good look at him for the first time. "Tell me, Auburn," she said as she grabbed Windracer's head in her talons and forced him to look at her. "Why does this NightWing have some aspects that resemble our own?"

"Get your claws off of him, you monster!" Auburn shouted in reply.

Queen Scarlet turned her head to look at Auburn out of the corner of her eye. A wicked smile curled her face. "Such protective ferocity you display now would only apply to a mother," she said. The queen's eyes glimmered with realization. "You went and had an egg with a NightWing, didn't you?"

Auburn didn't reply.

Scarlet pulled on Windracer's head until Auburn could look him in the eyes. "This dragonet is your son, isn't he?"

"Yes," Auburn admitted. "He's my son. And I won't let you take him from me!"

Windracer once again tried to heave the young SkyWing off him, but the soldier was too strong. He barely glanced down at the hybrid's pathetic struggles.

"This might be turning out to be quite a family reunion," Scarlet said, letting go of Windracer's head as she spoke. She was mostly talking to herself, but it was loud enough for all the other dragons to hear. "Don't a couple of these soldiers look familiar to you, Kestrel?"

Windracer turned his head to look at Kestrel. The SkyWing's eyes were locked on the soldier who had him pinned. Her eyes were narrow, but Windracer could see a hint of recognition.

"Inferno?"

The young soldier looked confused. He turned to one of the other soldiers, the one that was restraining Auburn. "Dad, how does she know my name?"

"That's Kestrel, son," the older soldier replied. He locked eyes with Kestrel. "She's your mother."

Kestrel glared at the soldier. "Hello, Scorch."

Windracer's head started spinning. The SkyWing soldier restraining him was the son of Kestrel, who was the older sister of his mother, Auburn, which meant that Inferno was his cousin.

Wow.

Talk about a family drama.

"Take them all," Queen Scarlet announced. "Except this one, of course." She dashed over and grabbed Dune by the neck once again, shaking him lightly. "I mean, what use is a crippled dragon who can't fly? I'm surprised you haven't killed yourself already, SandWing. But I can take care of that for you."

"No!" Arid screamed.

Windracer would have jumped at her sudden shout, if he hadn't been restrained. With everything going on, he had completely forgotten that all of his friends were also there.

But the next sound he heard was even more startling.

With a chilling *crack* Queen Scarlet snapped Dune's neck. She let his lifeless body fall to the ground as the soldiers released him.

Windracer was too horrified to move. He could hear Arid roaring and screaming angrily at Scarlet.

Kestrel suddenly lunged at the SkyWing soldiers. She grabbed the one who was clutching Webs and ripped him free. "Tell the Talons," she snarled, shoving Webs toward the cave.

Before anyone could stop him, Webs pelted into the cave and dove into the river. He vanished below the surface and took off down the stream.

"Oh," Queen Scarlet said, trembling in mock fear. "The Talons of Peace. I hope they try storming my sky palace to save you. That would be thrilling fun. Especially the part where we slaughter them all."

The SkyWing soldiers brought chains forward and started wrapping each of the dragonets in heavy iron. Windracer realized that they must have brought them in case they found any sort of dragon Scarlet was interested in taking to her palace.

Arid being Arid, she tried to fight off the soldiers, snapping her jaws and swinging her tail. The SkyWings held her tail down so she couldn't sting or stab them.

Windracer tried to throw Inferno off of him for the third time that day. "Leave her alone!"

The last thing he remembered was something slamming into the back of his head before he passed out.

* * *

When Windracer came to, he found himself in a prison cell at the top of a towering spire of rock. A narrow stone platform gave him just enough room to walk in a circle and lie down. There were no walls. There was no roof. There was only open blue sky and the fierce wind whistling around his ears day and night.

With his SkyWing-inherited wings folded over and clamped in metal clips, falling meant death. Horrible, painful, bone-shattering death.

But then, he wasn't entirely sure if that would be worse than Queen Scarlet's plans for them. Whatever they were.

His rock-tower prison was one of about a hundred spires, spread out in a huge circle. Nearly every one had a dragon on top, and, like him, they each had thin metal clamps on the outer edge of their wings. He also noticed the thin wires that twisted around his neck and legs. The wires stretched out from him out to the necks and legs of other prisoners, who all had them as well. One went to his left, to one leg of a pale blue IceWing on the next column, who was asleep with her tail over her nose. One wire was attached to the dragon on his right, a fuming SandWing whose pacing made the wire shake. The last three wires snaked out across the circle. He couldn't tell where those wires went, they disappeared into a tangled web, connecting all the trapped dragons.

So even if Queen Scarlet's captives could escape, then all one hundred prisoners would be stuck with each other. They wouldn't get very far that way.

That didn't mean they couldn't have tried. Remembering that he could read minds, Windracer focused on the SandWing to see what he was thinking. _One more fight,_ he heard. _I just have to beat Scarlet's Champion, and I'm free to go. Then I'll come back for Storm, and we'll resume our search._

Search? What would a SandWing have to search for?

The SandWing turned his head toward Windracer. "What are you asking for?"

Windracer gulped. Had he said that out loud? "Sorry, it's just...I never really thought a SandWing would have to search for something. I promise, I'll stay out of your head from now on. But...what do you mean 'one more fight'?"

The SandWing gestured with his head to the area below them. Unwillingly, Windracer looked over the edge. In the center of the circle of rock spires was a bowl of rock, like an empty lake, with sand at the bottom and sheer walls. Above the walls were rows of benches, balconies, and caves for spectators to look down into the arena.

"Prisoners here fight for their freedom," the SandWing explained. "After a few or more victories, they do battle with the Queen's Champion. If they succeed, they go free. I've won four battles so far, and I know I'm next to battle the Champion."

"Who is the Champion?" Windracer asked. He knew if he was going to end up fighting in the arena, he needed to learn everything he could.

"His name is Inferno," the SandWing replied. "He works as a soldier, and has been trained in the most exclusive battle techniques. He's undefeated, and has barely gotten any scars."

Windracer's blood ran cold as an IceWing. His cousin was Scarlet's Champion. That meant he'd have to kill Inferno in order to earn his freedom, if he ever made it that far.

How could it get any worse?

Hoping to take his mind off of Inferno, Windracer asked the SandWing, "Who's Storm?"

The older dragon pointed to Windracer's left with his claw. The hybrid turned to look at the napping IceWing. "Him?"

"Actually," the SandWing said with a chuckle. "Storm is a female. We've known each other for quite a while now."

"What is it you're searching for?" Windracer asked.

The SandWing sat down on his platform. "Before you go asking so many questions, at least give me a chance to introduce myself. I don't usually go talking with prisoners, but I'll make an exception, since you're new here." He placed his talons on his chest. "My name is Ocotillo."

Ocotillo. That was the name Windracer saw in Dune's mind. He couldn't help but ask, "Did you know Dune?"

"Yes," Ocotillo answered immediately, his voice filled with desperation. "We fought in the war together, he was my friend. Where is he?"

Windracer shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry, but Dune is dead. Scarlet killed him."

Ocotillo's face fell. "I see," he muttered sadly. "I've been looking for Dune so he could tell me where he took our egg. Storm and I have been searching for so long..."

"Your egg?" Windracer repeated. He was beginning to realize what Ocotillo might have been referring to. "Dune did mention that he brought a SandWing egg to the caves under the mountain. It was supposed to be for the prophecy. You know, the one about the dragonets coming to end the war?"

"Yes, I know that prophecy," Ocotillo said. "But I never would have thought me and Storm's egg would be chosen for it. Then again, I trusted Dune to help us hide it in the desert, so of course he knew where to find it..."

Windracer looked from Ocotillo to the sleeping IceWing, and then back again. "You had an egg with an IceWing?"

Ocotillo looked guilty. "Yes, I did. Such an act is forbidden, even with the SandWings and IceWings being allies in the war, but I couldn't help but fall for Storm. She was quite the fighter, yet kind to those she saw as friends."

This was starting to sound familiar to Windracer.

"We had an egg," Ocotillo continued. "A beautiful egg, white as snow with hints of sandy yellow. Storm couldn't come to the desert during the day because of the heat, so I kept it with me when she left for the Kingdom of Ice. I wasn't sure whether to keep the egg hot or cold, so I buried it about halfway into the sand in my house, so I could check on it frequently. When I came back one night, the egg was gone. I went to find Dune, but he was gone, too. He was the only other dragon besides me and Storm who knew of the egg, so I knew that he was the one who took it."

Windracer had a really bad feeling about where this was going.

"Tell me, NightWing," Ocotillo said, his black eyes focusing intensely on Windracer. "Do you know where our dragonet is?"

The young hybrid hesitated. "My name is Windracer, and I'm not entirely a NightWing. My mother is a SkyWing..."

"I don't care," Ocotillo said, a little too harshly. "Where is our dragonet?!"

Windracer drew back in fear a little. Ocotillo sighed. "I'm sorry, it's just, Storm and I have been searching for so long, and now I've finally gotten a clue to their location, I just can't..."

"There's a SandWing I grew up with under the mountain," Windracer interjected. "She has some pale blue color and spikes on her head and tail. Her name is Arid."

"Arid," Ocotillo repeated with a smile. "That's the name Storm and I picked for our dragonet. See, we both agreed that word could be used to describe an area that is either hot or cold, so we reasoned it would be a suitable name for both a SandWing and an IceWing. This dragon you speak of, it has to be our child, I just know it!"

Windracer had figured from how Arid looked different than a normal SandWing that she had to be a hybrid, but his conversation with Ocotillo made it all the more real. Windracer looked back at Storm, who was still asleep despite all the noise he and Ocotillo had been making. "IceWing," he muttered under his breath.

NightWings and IceWings were supposed to be sworn enemies.

Arid was an IceWing-SandWing hybrid.

And Windracer was in love with her.

The young hybrid held his head in despair.

"Why, of all things, did she have to be half IceWing?"

* * *

 **Didn't think one dragon could have so much conflict within themselves. I really hate doing this to Windracer, but it keeps things entertaining in some way, right? Anyway, leave a review if you wish.**

 **Auburn - Valka  
Windracer - Hiccup  
Arid - Astrid  
** **Lagoon - Heather  
Bog - Fishlegs  
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut  
Killer - Stoick  
Inferno - Snotlout  
Scorch - Spitelout**

 **P.S. The reason I'm not including Ocotillo and Storm on the list is because we've never actually seen Astrid's parents in the HtTYD movies or the TV and Netflix shows.**


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

 **Now we get to see some action in the arena! Spoiler alert: no killing, because I'm not like that.**

* * *

So many questions going through Windracer's head, and the only one he could think about was, _Why didn't Dune tell us?_

If Dune had known about Ocotillo and Storm's relationship, then he would have known Ocotillo's dragonet would be half IceWing. Perhaps he didn't tell the dragonets, or the other guardians, for the sake of the prophecy. It never spoke of any IceWings, which Windracer had just recently realized was because of the ongoing grudge between the NightWing and IceWing tribes. Maybe Dune was trying to protect Arid, since her parents weren't there.

Either way, it provided the much-needed explanation for why Morrowseer wanted Arid killed. He had to have figured out somehow that she was part IceWing.

Windracer didn't know how he couldn't have figured it out himself. All of the clues were there, and he had missed them. The spikes, her sharp claws, the pale blue of her wings and underbelly, the fact that SandWings and IceWings were allies in the war. Perhaps his love for Arid had blinded him to her "abnormalities," as the guardians called it.

The young hybrid's thoughts dissolved at the sound of dragons talking in the arena far below him. Windracer crouched to peer over the edge, hanging onto the rock spire tightly with his talons. Dragons were starting to fill into the seats of the arena. Nearly all of them were SkyWings, but he spotted the pale yellow of SandWings here and there as well. There were even one or two MudWings.

He didn't know how long it took for the stands to fill, but the sun was blazing directly overhead when two of the guards let out a trumpeting roar. All of the other dragons snapped to attention. Across the stadium, heads bent, wings tipped, talons were crossed, and silence fell as everyone waited.

Queen Scarlet stepped out onto the large balcony and spread her wings, catching the sunlight in the reflection of her orange scales. The fire-breathing hiss of all the gathered dragons greeted her as a sign of respect.

Windracer squinted at the dragons around the queen. Several large SkyWing guards (Windracer thought he recognized Scorch among them) took up positions along the balcony, two of them moved to pull something forward into the sunlight. A dragon that was nearly covered from head to tail in heavy chains, her mouth clamped shut tightly with an iron muzzle. Even from way up high, Windracer could see the dragon's scales colored a familiar pale yellow and blue.

The guards linked the chains to metal loops that looked as though they had been most recently added. The heavily restrained Arid growled as she tried to pull free, but the thick chains held fast.

Queen Scarlet stepped forward and gestured to Arid with her wing. "Well?" she said in a sly, smiling voice that carried across the arena and up to the prisoners. "What do you all think of my new pet?"

 _Pet!_ Windracer thought furiously, forgetting all about Arid's IceWing heritage. _As if Arid's nothing but a possession!_

Dragons in the lower seats began to applaud, and soon the whole stadium thundered with the beating of wings and talons. Queen Scarlet settled herself on a large flat boulder, looking pleased, and flicked her tail for silence.

"Bring in the combatants."

Inferno suddenly swept in from the tunnel, waving to the crowd. Once again, the stadium filled with applause, this session louder and more thunderous than the last.

Meanwhile three of the SkyWing guards flew up to Ocotillo, unclipping his wires and hooking them to a ring in the center of the ledge. The SandWing had just enough time to whisper to Windracer, "Wish me luck," before the guards grabbed him and swooped him into the sands below. They dropped him in a heap in the middle of the arena.

Windracer leaned himself over the edge of his platform as far as he could go, without the dreaded feeling that he was going to fall, so he could watch what was happening. He saw Ocotillo look up at Arid from his place in the arena, and found himself wondering if he recognized the dragonet as his daughter.

One of the SkyWing guards stood in the center of the arena and clapped his wings thunderously until the audience was quiet. He bowed to the queen and announced, "After four wins, Ocotillo the SandWing - formerly, and unwisely, a soldier in Blaze's army - has been challenged to a match with the Queen's Champion, Inferno. Claws up, fire ready! Fight!"

He sprang out of the arena, leaving Inferno and Ocotillo facing each other. Ocotillo sank down to the ground, hissing. Inferno stalked toward him, smoke curling around his horns.

All at once, the two dragons clashed.

Ocotillo didn't bother to try and use his tail stinger, just his claws and teeth like Inferno was doing. The younger and more well-trained SkyWing dodged each swipe of the SandWing's claws, lashing out with his own talons and leaving a large gash on Ocotillo's leg. The older dragon roared in pain as Inferno swung around and struck his opponent's side with his tail. That was enough to make Ocotillo topple over, dazed and disoriented.

Windracer's stomach felt heavy. A stupid trip, and it was all over. Ocotillo was completely exposed, leaving the door wide open for Inferno to go for the kill. He couldn't imagine what Arid would be feeling if she knew the SandWing Inferno had been fighting was her father.

Suddenly, one of Windracer's wires jerked sharply, nearly pulling him off of his rock spire. Digging in his talons, he looked to his left to find Storm thrashing in the net of wires. Some of the other prisoners, including Windracer himself, were scrabbling to hold onto their rock towers as the weight of the dragon threatened to drag them all down.

Windracer had been so focused on the battle, he didn't notice Storm waking up from her nap. He realized she must have thrown herself off of her prison cell, trying to get to Ocotillo. But the wires held her fast, and she was fighting like an insect caught in a spiderweb.

All of the SkyWing guards lifted off at once, heading up to where Storm was struggling. Ignorant of the approaching dragons, the IceWing cried out, "Ocotillo!"

Every other dragon in the arena, including Inferno, had their eyes locked on Storm. Her call brought Ocotillo to attention, and the first thing he noticed was that his opponent was distracted. Seeing his opportunity, he lashed out with his poisonous tail. His scorpion-like stinger sliced neatly across Inferno's face.

Inferno roared with agony, clawing frantically at his snout. Instantly, every dragon's attention was back on the fight.

Except Windracer's.

The moment he heard Inferno scream, another set of visions plagued him. A dead SkyWing, chaos erupting in the arena, the piercing eyes of an angry IceWing.

When Windracer regained his senses, Storm had been placed back on her platform and Ocotillo had Inferno pinned below them. The young SkyWing struggled, but Ocotillo was heavier and held him down with ease.

"You know you've lost," the SandWing spoke for all to hear. "And frankly, I don't wish to kill you. We can end this now, if you yield."

There was a stunned silence across the arena. Windracer noticed Queen Scarlet standing up to argue with Ocotillo. But before she had the chance, Inferno shifted his head to the side, avoiding Ocotillo's gaze, and growled out through his teeth, "I yield."

All the SkyWings in the audience erupted into protest. A satisfied Ocotillo lifted himself off of Inferno, and the young soldier padded out of the arena, his head hung down low in an effort to hide the ugly scar that now decorated his snout.

"The juice of a Brightsting Cactus will counteract the poison," Ocotillo called out to the SkyWing guards.

Windracer didn't want to think about why the SandWing was freely giving them information about the cure for his species' venom. Then again, the first thing Inferno was probably going to do once he left the arena was look for the cure. There wasn't anything he'd be able to do about the scar, though. He'd have that for the rest of his life, a constant reminder of the shameful battle.

Windracer watched his cousin leave the arena before shifted his gaze to the other three dragons he knew down there.

Ocotillo, who looked pleased.

Arid, who looked surprised.

And Queen Scarlet, who looked...furious.

* * *

After the protests in the audience died down, and the guards announced that Inferno was being treated with the cactus juice cure, Ocotillo was flown back to his tower and locked down again. Windracer couldn't help but ask why, since the SandWing had technically won the fight.

"I did," Ocotillo said. "But I didn't kill him. I'd never kill another dragon unless I absolutely I had to. No doubt Scarlet is probably going to keep me here instead of setting me free."

Windracer's thoughts drifted back to Arid. "Ocotillo, did you notice the dragon Scarlet had chained next to her? The one she said was her..." He winced, then choked out the last word. "...pet?"

Ocotillo didn't say anything, he only nodded.

"That was Arid," Windracer said, his voice wavering with dread. "That was your daughter."

Ocotillo's eyes went wide with both shock and realization. An angry shriek from Windracer's left brought both dragons' attention to Storm. The IceWing was so angry, Windracer thought she'd start spewing fire instead of ice.

"Of all the selfish, conniving, weasel-faced firebreathers in Pyrrhia!"

"Storm, please," Ocotillo said, surprisingly calm after such a revelation. "Not in front of the young ones." He gestured his talons to Windracer.

The hybrid gulped nervously as the IceWing eyed him angrily. "L-look, I...I don't want any trouble, really, I...I'm a friend of your daughter's. I don't hate IceWings, even though I know I'm supposed to, but I don't know why, and really, it's kinda hard to hate something when you don't have a reason to, I mean..."

"Shut up," Storm commanded.

Windracer obliged. He'd been rambling again.

"You know he has a point, Stormy," Ocotillo said. "How can you hate something without reason?"

"A NightWing stole Prince Arctic," Storm hissed. "It says so in the history scrolls. Queen Diamond told all her subjects about it."

Windracer knew the story of Prince Arctic. It was in one of the scrolls Webs would give him whenever he brought food for the dragonets. According to the text, Arctic was an animus IceWing prince who was supposedly kidnapped by a NightWing named Foeslayer, with whom he had dragonets, passing the animus genes to the NightWings. But Windracer was the kind of dragon who liked to believe there was more to what was written - surely there had to be more to the story than that.

The hybrid chanced a few words. "You don't know that for sure. The queen may have been lying."

"And how would you know, NightWing?" Storm asked. "That all happened two thousand years ago, you can't prove what's real and what's not."

"You're right," Windracer admitted. "I can't. Not now, anyway. But believe me when I tell you, Storm, Arid is my friend, and I do not think ill of any IceWing."

Ocotillo stretched his neck to look at his mate. "Please listen to him, Storm."

The IceWing snorted, but her gaze on Windracer softened a little. She glanced at the SandWing. "Only for you, Oco."

A noise down below brought their attention to the arena. Dragons were once again filing into their seats, but they seemed quieter and more subdued than they were for the fight. Scorch and a few other SkyWing soldiers dragged two large boulders out onto the sand. One of them twisted three large iron rings, similar to the ones that held Arid on Scarlet's platform, into the ground in a triangle before attaching thick chains to them.

"What's going on?" Windracer asked nervously.

"It looks like they're holding a trial," Ocotillo replied. "Didn't know they'd be holding one today. Must be a recent addition."

Windracer had a bad feeling about why.

Just as he feared, Auburn was hauled into the arena, muzzled and chained so she couldn't move or breathe fire. The guards pulled her over to the iron rings, chaining her in place.

A horrified and helpless Windracer couldn't help but whisper, "Mom."

Ocotillo and Storm heard him. The IceWing looked skeptical, but the SandWing look horrified.

Queen Scarlet entered, with a still thrashing Arid being brought in and rechained to the platform on which the queen stood.

The SkyWing who did all the arena introductions climbed onto one of the two boulders and spread his blood-red wings.

"That's Vermilion," Ocotillo whispered to Windracer. "Queen Scarlet's oldest son. He always argues for the prosecution."

"I take it you've seen a few trials here?" Windracer asked.

Ocotillo nodded. "Only SkyWings get trials. Rumor has it that Scarlet only likes them because of the drama."

The crowd's murmuring died down as another, much older SkyWing climbed onto the other boulder. His scales were more of a purplish shade, and he was lacking both of his wings.

"That's Osprey," Storm pointed out. "He argues for the defense."

Windracer was surprised that Storm was actually speaking to him in a non-threatening tone, since she looked like she wanted to kill him not long before.

In any case, the trial was about to begin. Queen Scarlet beat her wings, and all the dragons turned their attention to her.

"Loyal subjects," she said. "This dragon, Auburn, once of the SkyWings, stands accused of the highest treason - disobeying me, and contaminating our beautiful and perfect SkyWing genes. Vermilion speaks for the prosecution."

"Your Majesty," Vermilion said, bowing and crossing his talons. "The facts are clear. Auburn had an egg with a dragon outside her species, disobeyed your order and fled the kingdom. She has been living on the run for the last six years, aided by her sister, Kestrel, and the Talons of Peace, who also refuse to follow Your Majesty's orders. She deserves a long, painful execution. There is no need to drag this out."

The dragons in the seats hissed and flapped their wings. Auburn looked around fearfully, not for her own life, but for her son's. Even with death staring her in the face, she needed to know that her dragonet was still alive.

"Well said." The queen nodded to Vermilion. "Now Osprey may speak for the defense. Or not, if he'd prefer to sleep through this trial, too."

The crowd laughed appreciatively.

Osprey stretched his neck toward the queen, the toward Auburn, as if he were trying to get close enough to see their faces from his boulder.

"Your Majesty," he said in a voice creaky with age but still loud enough to carry to the prisoners up above. "I do have one or two words to say in the prisoner's defense."

Queen Scarlet's tail lashed slowly behind her as she stared him down. "Certainly," she said. "That's what you're here to do. Go ahead."

Osprey cleared his throat before speaking. "Consider first the charge of contaminating the SkyWing blood. Auburn was sent through the breeding program, on your orders, where she unexpectedly met and fell in love with a NightWing named Killer. She brought forth one egg, which turned out to be larger than the others, and the wrong shade of color."

"How do you know of this?" Queen Scarlet asked, smoke seeping out of her nostrils.

"Auburn was a close friend of mine," Osprey answered. "She trusted me to keep her secrets, and I did. But you didn't approve of her egg, for you saw it as an oddity, a threat. You cornered Auburn in the palace and ordered her to destroy the egg and kill the dragonet inside it."

"No," Windracer whispered.

"But she refused," Osprey said. "As I expected her to. She fled into the mountains with her egg. You told your guards - I know, for I was one of them - to find her, destroy the egg and bring her back for trial. I was the only one who stayed behind. When the other guards caught her, she had decoyed them with a rock. You ordered the guards to search the mountains, but neither an egg nor a dragonet was ever found. Auburn escaped before her trial, and was never seen again until this day."

There was a heartbeat of silence. Even Arid had stopped thrashing as she listened.

"Sounds guilty to me," Queen Scarlet said cheerfully. "We'll execute her tomorrow."

"NO!"

Windracer nearly launched himself off his tower, like Storm had earlier, his shout of protest carrying throughout the area. He could see Auburn shift her gaze up to his position, and she started fighting against her chains with more ferocity.

A pair of SkyWing guards flew up and grabbed Windracer. He expected them to muzzle him, but instead they unclipped his wires and carried him down to the arena, plopping him into the sand next to Auburn. The chained SkyWing reared up, pulling against her restraints in an effort to get to her son. From the look on her face, Windracer guessed she had feared he was dead that whole time.

"You have some nerve interrupting a trial, half-breed," Queen Scarlet spat in anger. "I should execute you both right now."

"I won't let you do this," Windracer said bravely. "All Auburn ever did was try to protect me! Is that a crime?"

Arid looked quite surprised. She'd never seen Windracer this courageous or determined about anything in all the years they'd known each other. There was a glint of pride in her eyes, along with what Windracer could have sworn was _attraction_ , but he ignored it for the time being.

Queen Scarlet growled. "Look at the trouble you've caused," she said to Osprey. "Listen, half-breed, no one in this kingdom ever gives orders to me, let alone a dirt-eater such as yourself. If you know what's good for you, you'll shut your little yapper and don't ever talk again unless I ask you to!"

Auburn roared unintelligibly through the muzzle.

Windracer looked up at his mother, then at Arid, and finally at Scarlet.

"Put me in the arena. I'll fight for my mother!"

Auburn stared in shock. She shook her head as frantically as she could with the chains restraining her movements.

Queen Scarlet looked amused. "Only the Queen's Champion can stand for a prisoner, fool."

"Then I'll make you a deal," Windracer offered. "If I win the fight, you let Auburn go free. And if I lose..." He forced himself not to think too much about the consequences of such. "...I guess we both die."

Queen Scarlet snorted in disappointment. "That doesn't sound thrilling enough," she said. "How about this? You lose, and I'll not only kill your mother, but all of your precious little friends as well?"

Windracer's heart sank like a stone, deep within the pit of his stomach. If he agreed to this, it would not only put his and Auburn's lives on the line, but Arid's, Bog's, Lagoon's, Marmoset's, and Mango's.

But what other choice did he have?

With no way out, the hybrid finally uttered, "Fair enough."

Satisfied, the queen clapped her wings together. "Guards, take the prisoner back to her cell." She flicked her tail at Auburn. The SkyWings came toward her, visibly unhappy about the delayed execution.

"As for this one..." Queen Scarlet pointed at Windracer. The hybrid shut his eyes and lowered his head as she spoke the words he was dreading most.

"Prepare him for the arena."

* * *

 **In this story, calling a dragon "half-breed" is about the same as calling an African American the n-word. Using the term "hybrid" is perfectly okay.**

 **The reason I didn't give Inferno firescales is because he would have been way too dangerous if he had them.**

 **Auburn - Valka  
Windracer - Hiccup  
Arid - Astrid  
** **Lagoon - Heather  
Bog - Fishlegs  
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut  
Killer - Stoick  
Inferno - Snotlout  
Scorch - Spitelout**


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

 **Poor Windracer has gotten in over his head. Lucky for him, there are other dragons out there fighting for the freedom of others.**

* * *

The battle that would decide the fate of Auburn and the dragonets was set to take place on Queen Scarlet's hatching day, which happened to be the next morning. No doubt she'd be planning for the execution right after the fight, if Windracer lost.

Back up on his rock spire, chained between Ocotillo and Storm, Windracer tried to find his friends among the prisoners. He could see several blue and green dragons who must be SeaWings, but none of the ones close enough to identify were Lagoon. Most of the trapped dragons were SeaWings, IceWings, or SandWings - prisoners of war. There were no bright color combinations that would indicate RainWings, which meant the twins were being kept somewhere else. Only one of the prisoners was brown, and he was nearly on the opposite side of the circle from Windracer. The hybrid couldn't see the dragon's face, but he knew it had to be Bog.

Windracer had considered once or twice to try reading some of the other prisoners' minds like he did with Ocotillo, but his lack of utilizing them for so long made it hard to focus on just one dragon. He'd just gotten lucky earlier. From all across the circle, the thoughts of the other prisoners invaded his mind.

 _What was that dragon thinking?_

 _A SkyWing with a NightWing dragonet?_

 _The queen's really going all out tomorrow._

 _I didn't think Windracer had it in him._

That last thought had to be Lagoon or Bog. Or maybe Arid, but he doubted that he was able to hear the thoughts of dragons several hundred feet away.

Then he remembered the way Arid had looked at him when he confronted Queen Scarlet about the fate of his mother. He'd been acting like a completely different dragon, fearlessly defending another in front of someone who could have easily killed him on the spot. Brave, but stupid. Not the kind of dragon he'd want Arid to fall for.

Heavy wingbeats in the distance distracted Windracer from his thoughts. He looked up as a score of SandWings appeared from the west, outlined by the red glow of the setting sun. The largest was in the lead, with the others fanned out in a V formation behind her. They swooped toward the queen's palace, staying in perfect lines, and vanished beyond a distant wall, where Windracer guessed the landing field for visitors was.

Burn had arrived.

She was the biggest and meanest of the three rivals for the SandWing throne. She held the SandWing palace stronghold. Allied with the SkyWings and MudWings, it was no surprise to Windracer that she'd be stopping by, most likely to watch the arena battles with Scarlet the next morning.

 _We need to escape._

 _Now._

 _Tonight._

He couldn't imagine what Scarlet and Burn would do with him and his friends. Chances were, they'd kill them all even if he did win the fight. Windracer shut his eyes tight. Now would have been a very good time for him to have even just one vision of the future. Maybe he could see how they escape, and where they go to get away from Queen Scarlet.

Nothing.

Not a single vision.

 _Stupid powers._

Or maybe not. There had been the vision of his wings wrapped in flames. He'd been having that vision for a while, in every one of his dreams for the past six years he'd been alive.

Windracer's eyes lifted to the metal clips that had his wings clamped shut. If he could make his wings catch fire, it was possible they'd be able to burn through the metal. But how could he do that if it was an ability even SkyWings didn't have?

 _A spell._ It was the only answer. Enchant his wings to catch on fire, whenever he wanted them to. And to also not cause any harm to him while the flames were active.

But Windracer had never actually cast a spell on a dragon, let alone himself, mostly out of fear of what it would do to his soul. All throughout history in the scrolls he read, animus dragons went mad after using their powers to excess. But there had to be more to the story than that.

 _Maybe losing their soul isn't the right way to describe it,_ Windracer realized. _Maybe it's more like...the more they use their power for bad things, the more they feel like they can get away with using their power for anything._

 _That's not the kind of dragon I am, and it never will be._

His decision made, Windracer shifted his gaze from the metal clips to his wings. He thought over how to word the spell carefully in his head multiple times before he finally found a phrase he was satisfied with.

 _I enchant my wings to be encompassed in flames whenever I choose, and for the fire to not cause harm to me in any way._

He shifted his wings experimentally. He wasn't sure if the spell had worked or not. But there was certainly only one way to find out. He focused on the image of his wings ignited with flames.

All at once, the image was reality. Real flames engulfed his wings, but he didn't feel any pain whatsoever. Windracer quickly made the flames disperse so as not to attract any unwanted attention to himself. He didn't need, or want, Queen Scarlet or Princess Burn to know he was an animus.

But why was it so important for him to have that power? If Windracer was going to have the ability to set his wings on fire, it had to be for a good reason. He certainly wouldn't want to go around utilizing his wings of fire all willy-nilly.

Wait.

 _Wings of fire._

The wording in his prophecy. _The dragon whose fate is stronger and higher will have the power of wings of fire._

It was him.

The dragon in the prophecy was _him_.

The last line made that fact even more clear.

 _It's time to race the wind._

Windracer.

For the first time, the young hybrid's dreams and wishes of doing something big and legendary and helpful seemed like they belonged to this world instead of his imagination. But the prophecy wasn't just about him, it was about his friends, too. It was about every dragon in Pyrrhia that needed the war to be over.

"Psst."

The voice came from Windracer's left, but it wasn't Storm. After looking around in confusion for a moment, a dragon suddenly materialized next to him. It would be hard for a dragon to make it out in the darkness, but Windracer had inherited the NightWings' excellent night vision. He recognized a mixture of bright purple scales, orange wings and ruff behind the ears. He didn't have to guess what kind of dragon it was.

A RainWing.

Stunned, Windracer barely got out a friendly, "Hello."

The RainWing tossed her head a little. "Wanna get out of here?"

Windracer could tell by her voice that she was older than him, maybe around nine years or so. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded yes.

The RainWing went to work trying to cut through the thin wires with her teeth and claws. Windracer tried to help, but their claws weren't strong enough. Getting an idea, the hybrid breathed a small stream of flame on the wires, which snapped in half at the heat. But the metal clips on Windracer's wings were too thick and sturdy for them to remove. Instead, the RainWing flew over him, grabbed him in all four of her talons, curled her tail around his for extra grip, and pulled up as hard as she could. Windracer flapped his restrained wings in an effort to help the RainWing lift off. It worked, but not as well as either would have liked. They were only flying a few feet above the platform, but it would have to do.

Flying to the nearest tower was no walk in the park. It was a miracle the RainWing was able to stay airborne long enough to fly into an empty room near the top of the tower before letting go of Windracer and collapsing in exhaustion. There were some mounted torches on the walls of the room, and they were all lit, providing light. After recovering, the RainWing got a good look at the dragon she'd helped. Her eyes went wide when she noticed that some of his scales were black.

"You're a NightWing?"

Windracer nodded nervously.

The RainWing sighed. "Great. I just escape from being kidnapped by NightWings, and the first dragon I think to rescue happens to be one of their kind."

"I'm not a full NightWing," Windracer said quickly. "My mother is a SkyWing, so..." He paused as he realized what the RainWing had just said. "What do you mean, kidnapped?"

The RainWing stood up and turned around so she was looking Windracer in the eye. "The NightWings have been capturing many of my kind and bringing them to their island to learn more about our venom. They care very little of our wellbeing, and two of my fellow tribe members have died so far. I managed to escape by camouflaging myself to make it look like I wasn't in the cage. Slipped right past the incompetent guards when they opened the cage to find me. I found some tunnels on the island and somehow ended up in the Kingdom of Sand. Tried to find my way back to the rainforest, but as luck would have it, the wind blew me up to the Sky Kingdom. I saw a burst of flames and followed it to the prisoners. I figured it wouldn't hurt to help a dragon who was trapped like I had been."

"I appreciate that," Windracer said. "And I'm sorry about what happened. Just know this, I'm not like those NightWings, and I never will be. You're safe around me. I'm Windracer."

"Vivid," the RainWing said. "My name, I mean. It's Vivid."

Windracer nodded in understanding. "Listen, Vivid, can you also get my friends? There's a MudWing named Bog, a SeaWing named Lagoon, a pair of RainWing twins named Marmoset and Mango, and an IceWing-SandWing hybrid named Arid being held here with me."

"You sure have some weird company," Vivid said, almost in disgust. "Why are you not with your own kind, anyway?"

"Because of the prophecy," Windracer answered automatically. Then he remembered that the RainWings weren't involved in the war and didn't even know about the prophecy. So he explained further. "Well, actually, it's a fake prophecy. It says a group of dragonets that have hatched on the brightest night will end a war on Pyrrhia that was started by a trio of SandWing sisters who all want to be queen."

"Sounds dramatic," Vivid said. "Good thing us RainWings aren't involved. Then again, everyone else seems to think we're lazy and stupid dragons who do nothing but lie around a lot."

Windracer didn't think that. Especially not with Marmoset and Mango running around the caves pulling pranks on the other dragonets for the six years they had lived there.

"Can you help us escape?" he asked Vivid hopefully.

"I wish," she replied. "You saw how hard it was for me to carry you. Imagine me trying to lift up a MudWing!"

Windracer scanned the room and found a bronze bracelet. "Maybe I can help with that," he said. He reached down and plucked up the bracelet. "Queen Scarlet doesn't know I can do this." He held it in the center of his palm, eyes locked on the jewelry as he spoke loud and clear. "I enchant this bracelet to grant any dragon who wears it super strength, but only for as long as they're wearing it." Without missing a beat, he lifted one of Vivid's front talons and slipped the bracelet on her. It was a perfect fit.

The RainWing lifted her leg to look at the bracelet. "So, you're an animus, too? Interesting."

"Promise you won't tell anyone?" Windracer asked nervously.

Vivid nodded. "As long as this bracelet works, I won't." She flapped her wings and flew over Windracer, grabbing his legs and wings and lifting up. This time, she was able to carry him with ease. She gently set him back down on the floor of the room before landing nearby. "What did you say your name was, again?"

"It's Windracer," the hybrid replied.

"Windracer," Vivid repeated. She would definitely try to remember it this time. "Thanks."

The hybrid held up a talon as he searched the room again. Many of the items looked foreign to the Sky Kingdom, presumably objects that were taken off of the prisoners and then thrown into the room without so much as a second glance. He rummaged through a chest and found a blunted spearhead that looked like it had been broken off its staff during battle. He grabbed it and held it up to his eyelevel. "I enchant this spearhead to help any dragon who wields it find whatever they're looking for." He then handed the spearhead to Vivid. "This might also help."

The RainWing stared at him wide-eyed before lifting the spearhead for a closer look. With some hesitation, she stated, "Windracer's friends."

The spearhead twitched and twisted in Vivid's claws, too blunt and worn to cause any form of harm. The pointy end of the spearhead pointed and pulled Vivid in several different directions, as there was more than one dragon it was asked to find, after all.

"Try following it in one direction at a time," Windracer offered. "And don't let any of the SkyWings see you."

Vivid glanced back at him before shifting the color of her scales so that she was almost invisible. "Not a problem."

Silence followed, and Windracer realized that the RainWing had left. With nothing else to do, he sat dead center in the room and waited for something to happen.

And something did.

Darkness flashed before his eyes, and then a strange image, in bits and pieces like a puzzle whirling together.

A group of four dragons, around his age. Three of them had two pairs of wings, with two sets resembling those of butterflies, and the third resembling a those of a wasp. The wasp-dragonet had odd purple eyes, unlike the black orbs of the monstrous wasp-dragon he'd seen in previous visions. The fourth dragonet looked like it was half plant, with huge leaf-like wings. The four dragons were speaking to each other, and Windracer overheard one of them saying the name of their home continent.

Pantala.

The vision ended, and Windracer searched the room a third time to see if he could find anything useful. Some tattered scrolls, several paintings of Queen Scarlet, and an old mirror small enough to fit in Morrowseer's palms. Windracer grabbed the mirror, examining his reflection for a few precious moments before suddenly getting an idea.

"I enchant this mirror to show any requested event from Pyrrhia or Pantala's past."

The glass of the mirror shimmered for a moment, as though it were responding to the spell. Now all Windracer needed to do was test it out. The young hybrid raised the mirror a bit higher and requested, "Show me what happened to Prince Arctic of the IceWings." When nothing happened, he quickly added, "Please."

The results were instantaneous. His reflection in the mirror swirled out of focus and was replaced with an image of an IceWing, nearly 7 years of age, sitting and conversing with a female NightWing - Foeslayer, Windracer realized. Judging by all the snow, he guessed they were somewhere in the heart of the Ice Kingdom. _This must be when they first met._

The next image showed Arctic and Foeslayer in a mountainous with canyons and caves, a coast lined with rocky black-sand beaches and littered with tide pools and half-flooded caves. The two weren't fighting, they were talking with each other, and as Windracer watched, they would occasionally turn their heads and nuzzle each other's snouts.

 _Prince Arctic wasn't stolen by the NightWings,_ Windracer realized. _He fell in love with one._ He could see it in Arctic's eyes. It was the same look Windracer had whenever he looked at Arid. With a new curiosity, he asked the mirror, "Please show me what happened to Queen Diamond."

The following image showed Queen Diamond forcing her son into an engagement with an IceWing he wasn't in love with. The next image showed the queen furious over the fact that her son eloped with a NightWing. Then it showed her feeding lies to all of her subjects, that Foeslayer, coveting the power of the IceWings' animus dragons, had kidnapped Arctic so that her tribe could benefit from these powers as well. The final image showed Queen Diamond killing Foeslayer by slashing her throat with her serrated claws.

 _So, it was all a misunderstanding,_ Windracer thought to himself. _The IceWings all believed Diamond's lies, and assumed the NightWings stole Prince Arctic from them. That's why the two tribes hate each other so much. But what can I do to fix that? How can I show them it was nothing but a lie?_

He didn't get a chance to figure it out, as Vivid suddenly entered to room with her vibrant, colorful scales. The moment Windracer lifted his eyes to look at her, the images in the mirror faded. "Did you find them?"

"I found where your RainWing friends were being kept," Vivid replied. "In a room in one of those other towers nearby. I brought the MudWing and SeaWing there, those other two are being held in some sort of cage. I promised I'd bring you there to them."

Windracer took the spearhead Vivid was still holding, uttering, "My leather bag," under his breath. The spearhead twitched and twisted in his talons before pulling him into one of the piles of the prisoners' belongings. The bag he had been wearing around his neck when he first stepped out from under the mountain was half-buried in the pile. He grabbed it quickly, stuffing the mirror and spearhead into it along with the Doubling Bowl, the beaded bracelet and the Invisibility Stick (they were all probably left there on the assumption that there was nothing special about them). He hung the bag around his neck before turning to Vivid. "Now I'm ready."

Vivid flew over Windracer, lifting him up with ease. Within seconds, the two were outside, the RainWing flying herself and the hybrid towards one of the towers. It didn't take long for them to get there, and the moment Vivid set Windracer down on the floor of the tower's room, a certain MudWing was squeezing him in a tight hug.

"Windracer! You're okay!"

The hybrid sucked in a breath as best he could. "Air, Bog, air!"

Bog quickly let go of his friend. "Sorry."

Lagoon was the next to greet Windracer. "That was a very brave thing you did, standing up for your mother like that."

"Wish I hadn't done that," Windracer muttered. "All of our lives are on the line if I fight tomorrow." He scanned the room, but found no traces of a certain female hybrid. "Where's Arid?"

"Scarlet has her in the palace," Vivid answered. "Would have been impossible for me to free her without being noticed, even if I did camouflage myself." She pointed a talon over their shoulders. "But your twin friends seem alright. Wish they'd stop babbling so much, though."

Indeed, Marmoset and Mango were quite fine. Well, as long as you counted being held in a sort of birdcage "fine." And that didn't really work for Mango. "This is worse than being inside the egg."

Her brother snorted. "How do you think I feel?"

"Will you cut your complaining already?!"

The shout hadn't from Vivid. Or Lagoon. Or Windracer. And definitely not from Bog.

The RainWing twins weren't the only ones being held prisoner in that room.

There was an IceWing in there with them.

* * *

 **Once again we start "spinning away from the canon," as Cottonmouth25 put it.**

 **Windracer gets his first look at Darkstalker and Pantala, and starts embracing his powers a little more. For the record, I don't really believe in the "animus dragons losing their souls" theory. I really think it's more like, they use their powers for bad things and then think they can get away with anything. Good thing Windracer uses his magic for the good of others, and takes the time to word his spells carefully. It really seems like a Hiccup thing to do.**

 **Also, Vivid is not a counterpart to anyone in the HtTYD series, she's kind of an original character.**

 **Auburn - Valka  
Windracer - Hiccup  
Arid - Astrid  
** **Lagoon - Heather  
Bog - Fishlegs  
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut  
Killer - Stoick  
Inferno - Snotlout  
Scorch - Spitelout**


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

 **Now for things to reach new levels of drama.**

* * *

The IceWing was around seven years old, and was chained to the floor and walls of the room to keep from moving around. If Windracer wasn't so horrified at the fact that there was an IceWing in the room with them, he would have been wondering why she wasn't being held outside with the other prisoners.

"Is she one of you friends, too?" Vivid asked, her scales a mixture of orange and green. Windracer guessed she was rather displeased, or even downright disgusted.

Bog shook his head. "Nope."

"Never seen her before," Lagoon added.

Mango stuck her head out from between the bars of the cage that held her and her brother. "I think she said her name was Sleet."

"It's _Princess_ Sleet to you, Ditzy!" the IceWing snapped. "My mother is Queen Glacier, and she can freeze you solid!"

Great. Just what they needed. An IceWing princess.

Windracer would have up and left the room if he'd been able to fly. But he hadn't had the chance to use his new wings of fire power to break the metal clips. And he certainly couldn't do it with Sleet giving him the evil eye.

"NightWing! You've got a lot of nerve being in the same room as me!"

Bog jumped back at the IceWing princess's yelling. "Guess they really do hate NightWings with a passion."

"Well, you're gonna have to deal with it for now," Lagoon said. She gestured to herself, Bog and Windracer with her webbed talons. "We're the dragonets of destiny."

The anger in Sleet's eyes subsided. " _The_ dragonets of destiny? For real? The ones in the prophecy?"

Windracer somehow found the courage to step forward so he was in full view of the IceWing princess. "That's us." He hung his head apologetically. "I'm sorry for the intrusion, but we're trying to escape before Queen Scarlet kills us all tomorrow."

"No need," Sleet said, her tone the polar opposite (no pun intended) of before. "Being locked in here for so many weeks, and then having to deal with Ditzy and Bozo over there, it's driving me to my wit's end. I'm the one who should be apologizing."

The RainWing twins simultaneously cried out an offended, "Hey!"

"What are you in here for?" Windracer couldn't help but ask.

"My brother, Frost, and I were searching for scavenger dens in SkyWing territory," Sleet said. "Before we could even blink, about fourteen or so SkyWings ambushed us and took us to Scarlet's palace. Frost didn't want to be held responsible for anything that happened to me, so he made a deal with Scarlet. If he won enough fights in the arena, she'd let me go unharmed. But the SkyWing Queen hardly ever keeps her word. I'm barley fed, on the verge of dehydration, and it's so hot in here! I'll probably be dead before Frost wins the final fight." She lifted her eyes to look at Windracer. "You don't look like any NightWing I've ever seen, and those were just in scrolls. What exactly are you?"

In all honesty, Windracer wasn't at all surprised she'd asked him that. "I'm a hybrid. My father is a NightWing, but my mother is a SkyWing."

Sleet chuckled. "Well, whatever you are, you're cute."

Windracer's eyes went as wide as they could go, and he froze like a statue. _Cute?_ In what way would the princess of the IceWings find a dragon like him _cute_?

"You know, you could come with us," Bog offered. Sleet looked at him, and suddenly he wasn't entirely confident. "If you really want to escape tonight."

"Of course I do," Sleet said, grabbing at her chains. "Get these chains off me, and let's get out of here."

Windracer finally managed to find his voice. "But Arid-"

"We'll hide somewhere and wait until Vivid can free her tomorrow," Lagoon said.

An impatient pair of RainWings called out to the others, "Hello? Is anyone gonna get us outta here?"

Vivid mentally rolled her eyes as she approached the caged twins. "Right, sorry." After a few moments of working her claws into the lock, she wriggled her talons around until there was a distinct *click* and the lock fell away. The door to the cage swung open, and the twins bounded right out.

"Normally, I rely on my venom to get out of sticky situations," Vivid said, opening her mouth and pointing at her two longest fangs. "But our venom only works on living things. I melted, like, half the face of the NightWing that plucked me out of the rainforest."

Marmoset and Mango stared at the older RainWing's fangs in amazement and wonder. Marmoset asked Vivid excitedly, "Can we do that, too?"

"Yes," Vivid said, grimly.

Sleet held her chains up for the others to see. "Now, me."

Gulping nervously, Windracer padded over to the IceWing princess. "Have you tried your frostbreath?"

"Don't you think that was the first thing I tried?" Sleet said, sarcastically. "These chains are impervious to ice. Try your fire, it might break them."

"Are you sure you want the help of a NightWing?" Windracer asked, nervously. "We're supposed to be enemies, you know."

Sleet snorted. "Yeah, but I don't see any point in us fighting over something that happened so long ago. Arctic left with a NightWing, Queen Diamond was a jerk, and now our tribes are constantly squabbling over a big, fat lie."

Windracer's eyes went wide, a light shimmer of realization in them. "So, you already knew?"

"That Arctic fell in love with a NightWing?" Sleet said. "Yeah. Queen Diamond had a private diary she kept hidden from everyone, even her family members. I found it by accident while I was playing around in Mother's room on my third birthday. Secret compartment underneath the queen's bed, silly little scroll had all the answers you could ever hope for when it comes to why IceWings and NightWings hate each other so much."

"Never thought we'd be getting a history lesson out of this," Lagoon joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Sleet paid her no mind. "Now, are you going to free me, whatever-in-Pyrrhia-your-name-is?"

"Oh." Windracer had been so shocked at Sleet's presence, he had forgotten to introduce himself. "My name is Windracer."

The IceWing princess gave him a look he had trouble reading. "As cool as that sounds, how about I call you Wind? I think it's easier to remember that way."

Windracer nonchalantly shrugged his wings. "You can call me what you want, but please don't use the term 'half-breed,' okay?"

Sleet pulled on the chains that still held her. "Less talking, more freeing."

The hybrid wasted no more time using his fire breath on Sleet's chains. The metal melted into a bubbly mess and broke apart, freeing the IceWing princess's wings and tail. Soon the princess of the IceWings was able to walk around the room, albeit with the chains still wrapped around her legs.

"Thank you, Wind," Sleet said, batting her eyes at the hybrid. "So, when we get out, maybe you could escort me back to my kingdom?"

Was she trying to flirt with him?

Apparently so, because then next thing Windracer knew, she was all up in his face and trailing her talons up his leg. "Once you fulfill the prophecy, you can come visit. Who knows, maybe I'll be queen by then."

"I see some claw holds," Lagoon said, pointing. Windracer gladly took his attention off of Sleet and onto the SeaWing. "If we free our wings, we can rest there, and..."

She was cut off by the sudden and unwanted arrival of Scarlet. "Going somewhere?"

Windracer instinctively rushed forward, shielding his friends as best he could with his wings bound.

"Honestly, did you really think you'd be able to get out of here without my guards noticing your absence?" Scarlet taunted. She moved to the side to reveal Inferno, his snout bandaged, and decorated in a full set of armor for guard duty. Behind him were about ten other SkyWing guards, Scorch included. "Do with them what you must," the queen snapped, "No dragonet leaves this tower, dead or alive."

Windracer spared a glance over his shoulder to find Vivid gone, most likely camouflaged so she could fly out the window unnoticed.

"It's really very selfish of you," Scarlet said, shaking her head. "Ruining my party. My hatching day only comes once a year. I've been planning this for months. So, why don't you all be good little dragonets and stay here in this tower? That way, you'll all be well-rested and ready for my thrilling arena battles tomorrow morning." That last sentence she spoke with an inevitable sneer.

Sleet pushed past Windracer, her blue eyes flashing with ferocity that reminded him of Arid. "No way you're making me fight for your entertainment, firebreather! Do you have any idea who my mother is?!"

"Queen Glacier," Scarlet answered without guessing. "And your brother has been fighting for you, hasn't he, princess?"

Something about the queen's tone of voice sent chills down Windracer's spine.

The SkyWing queen's eyes shifted to Windracer. "Quite noble of you to try and protect a dragon that's supposed to be your sworn enemy. You remind me of your mother in far too many ways, half-breed."

One twitch of Scarlet's tail, and Scorch threw his spear at the dragonets. Windracer shut his eyes as the weapon came flying toward him. He expected to feel a stab, and then a world of pain.

But the blow never came.

Windracer cautiously opened one eye, only for both to shoot open in shock. Sleet was standing in front of him, her eyes glazed over. Right in the dead center of her chest was the spear Scorch had thrown, blue blood seeping out of the wound.

Sleet reached up with her talons and pulled the spear out, then fell to the floor.

"No!"

Windracer threw himself at the collapsed IceWing's side.

Scarlet chuckled to herself. "Those dragonets, constantly pushing and shoving to save each other. Sickening, yet thrilling at the same time."

Windracer was really starting to hate the word "thrilling."

The queen of the SkyWings took her leave, the guards taking their places outside the tower. Inferno glanced at Windracer once, but then turned away and went to his post.

The hybrid paid no attention to his cousin, or anyone else for that matter. Without stopping to think about what he was doing, he cradled Sleet's head in his talons. "Why did you do that?"

Despite the pain she was in, Sleet managed a smile. "There are more IceWing princesses," she said, her voice weak and quiet enough to be a whisper. "But there's only one NightWing dragonet of destiny."

"Sleet, the prophecy..." Windracer paused for a moment. Sleet believed in the prophecy, like most other dragons on the continent. She believed in the dragonets that would end the war, and bring peace. She believed in him.

How could he tell a dying dragon with so much faith in their heart that it was all a ruse?

"...really means that much to you?"

"If it means no other dragons will be killed in the crossfire," Sleet strained to say. "Then yes." She raised her talons to rest on his. "Tell my mother what happened. She won't hurt you if she knows you're my friend. And Wind?"

Windracer forced himself to look into her eyes.

"I hope you find a way to end the war soon."

The hybrid shook his head. "I'll try, but I'm no hero."

Sleet smiled at him one last time. "You are...to me."

He felt her talons slipping from his own, and Windracer watched as Sleet's eyes slide shut and she went limp in his clutch.

Blue blood flowed out of Sleet's wound and onto Windracer's talons, but he didn't care. He'd just seen a dragon die in front of him. A dragon who had given her life to save his.

He barely knew her, but at the same time, he did know her. She reminded him of Arid in certain ways, and now she was gone.

Eyes glistening with tears, Windracer looked over his shoulder to see Bog bawling his eyes out. The MudWing was leaning his head on Lagoon's shoulder, she patted him gently with a somber look on her face. Even the usually chipper and hard-to-upset RainWing twins looked devastated.

The last thing Windracer remembered of that night was crying himself to sleep.

* * *

The roaring of dragons woke them up the next morning. The five dragonets barely had time to scrabble to their feet before guards began pouring into their room.

A minute later, Windracer was in the arena while his friends were all chained and muzzled on the queen's balcony, bolted to rings on the floor. Queen Scarlet was already there, lounging on her throne and stroking a thrashing Arid's head like she was a harmless cat. She smirked at them.

"I thought you'd appreciate the best view in the house for this." She nodded at the arena, where Windracer was crouching low in a futile effort to avoid being seen. He'd lost his leather bag again, likely ripped off him by the guards and then thrown into the room.

Burn stood next to Scarlet, ignoring the throne that had been provided for her. She glowered at all the dragons equally, until her black eyes settled on Arid.

"Oh, this is my new pet," Queen Scarlet said airily. "Pretty, isn't she? I bet I'm the only queen with my very own whatever-she-is."

"She'd look better in my collection," Burn muttered, her expression rather envious.

The seats were filled with hundreds of dragons - all the dragons in the SkyWing Kingdom, it seemed to Windracer. They roared and stamped their feet, demanding bloody entertainment.

Vermilion fluttered down into the center of the arena. "Fellow dragons," he called. "Loyal SkyWings and visiting MudWings and honored SandWing guests. In honor of Queen Scarlet's hatching day, we have a treat for all of you. A prisoner, Auburn, has been put on trial, and a dragon has requested that he fight for her freedom." He gestured to Windracer. "This dragonet is the child of Auburn, a traitor to our beloved tribe, who went and had an egg with a NightWing."

The SkyWings in the audience booed obediently.

"Indeed," said Vermilion. "This dragonet is willing to fight for his mother's freedom, but let's see if he can survive the arena. I give you, Windracer of the SkyWings and NightWings!"

Windracer blinked as the SkyWing continued with his announcing. He'd never been called "of the SkyWings and NightWings" before. It might have felt better if he hadn't been surrounded by hundreds of dragons ready to applaud for his imminent death.

A writhing, white mass landed hard on the sands, dropped by the guards. He was slightly bigger than Windracer, with talons sharp and serrated. His dark blue eyes were raging with eagerness at the inevitable bloodshed.

Vermilion flew up out of the arena to avoid the IceWing's claws. "Here we have another dragon fighting for a family member," he said. "After three wins, he's hoping to get the queen to release his dear sister. It's Frost of the IceWings! Claws up, teeth ready! Fight!"

The IceWing didn't wait for Vermilion's order. He tore across the sand toward Windracer as soon as he saw his opponent. He leapt at Windracer, but the hybrid tucked and rolled under him.

This IceWing was fighting for a family member, like Windracer was. Specifically, his sister. Vermilion said his name was Frost.

It didn't take long for Windracer to realize the dragon he was fighting was Sleet's brother.

* * *

 **Let it be known that I have never written a character death before, especially not one that graphic. But I know that it's something Tui T. Sutherland would do, and it adds drama to the story.**

 **Still, I kinda hate myself for it.**

 **The battle between Windracer and Frost will continue in the next chapter (obviously).**

 **Auburn - Valka  
Windracer - Hiccup  
Arid - Astrid  
** **Lagoon - Heather  
Bog - Fishlegs  
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut  
Killer - Stoick  
Inferno - Snotlout  
Scorch - Spitelout  
Frost - Dagur**


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

 **Now things begin to really take a turn for the better. Well, for the dragonets of destiny, anyway.**

* * *

Windracer avoided another claw swipe from Frost. He should have guessed. Two dragons fighting for the freedom of a family member, pitted against each other in the arena to determine their loved one's fate.

But Frost's sister was already dead.

Had Scarlet planned it all along? Kill Sleet before the deciding battle, without Frost knowing?

What if she had done that with Auburn, too?

Windracer forced that question away into the back of his head. First, he had to focus on not dying, and then he could think about finding his mother.

But what if he didn't have to fight Frost? If he told the IceWing what had happened to Sleet, would he stop and maybe even turn on Scarlet? It was a long shot, but Windracer knew he had to try.

"Frost, stop! We don't have to fight!"

As he would have expected, the IceWing prince didn't listen.

"Yes we do!" Frost snarled. "Dragons fight every day! I've killed every opponent they put me up against, I can handle killing one more!" He blasted frostbreath at the hybrid, prompting Windracer to roll out of the way. The ice from Frost's attack hit the wall underneath the queen's balcony. Frost fired again, and Windracer rolled the other way, the frostbreath adding more ice onto the wall. The cold structure traveled up to the talons of the chained dragonets, but Scarlet and Burn remained unfazed.

Windracer went to roll again, but Frost anticipated it. He grabbed the hybrid in his talons and slammed him down, pinning him into the sand.

"Fight back, you weasel-brain!"

Although startled by Frost's yell and angry gaze, Windracer shook his head. "No. I won't fight you, Frost. This isn't what Sleet would want."

Frost's eyes went wide for a moment before he glared at Windracer. "How do you know about Sleet?!"

"I met her while trying to escape," Windracer explained. "I was afraid at first, but she was nice to me. I helped her out of her chains, so she could escape with me and my friends. She knew about Queen Diamond, everything you think you know about NightWings is not true. Scarlet found us trying to get away. She ordered her guards to attack me, but Sleet saved my life. I tried to save her, but she didn't make it."

After waiting a moment to catch his breath from rambling, Windracer looked the IceWing straight in the eye.

"Frost, your sister is dead."

The IceWing prince hesitated, but then shook himself back to his senses. "Liar!"

"I'm not lying," Windracer insisted. He wished he had something that would show Frost it was true, but for now his words were his only proof. "I don't care what you do to me, but I won't fight you. It's not what Sleet would want, and it's not what I want, either."

He noticed the closet dragons in the audience were leaning in, listening intently. He hadn't been speaking for the whole stadium to hear, but at least a few had.

Queen Scarlet wasn't among them. "Hurry up and finish it!" she called from her balcony. "You have him at your mercy! Freeze his head off! Slice his throat! _**Kill him**_ _ **!**_ "

Windracer looked up at his friends, thinking it was the last time he'd ever see them. That's when he saw Arid. She had lowered her head enough to reach up with her front talons and attempt to pry her muzzle off. A patch of ice from Frost's breath had formed in front of her, its cold temperature chilling her scales. But she paid no attention to it, she dug her claws into the space between the muzzle and her snout and pulled as hard as she could. Miraculously, the muzzle broke off, and Arid reared back and let out an angry roar.

Burn and Scarlet stared wide-eyed at the SandWing, who glared at both of them. Arid opened her mouth, and sucked in a long breath. Expecting her to breath fire, Scarlet lifted her wing to shield herself. But instead of fire, a cloud of glittering smoke came out of Arid's mouth. The second Arid's breath hit Scarlet's wing, patches of ice began to freeze over the queen's scales.

Scarlet stared wide-eyed at what was happening to her. "Ice? How did you...?!"

She didn't get a chance to finish her question, as Arid readied another frostbreath. Burn shoved Scarlet in front of her and shot into the sky. The SkyWing queen barely avoided being hit a second time.

Seeing Frost distracted by what was happening on the queen's balcony, Windracer threw the IceWing off of him and started desperately digging around in the sand. If he could find something, anything, to enchant, he could free himself, his friends, and all the other dragons being held prisoner. Finally, he found a small rock, which he palmed tightly. "Free every prisoner in the Sky Kingdom!" he shouted.

And just like that, the metal clips on his wings vanished. He looked up to the queen's balcony to find his friends free of their chains. The sound of wingbeats prompted him to look up. All of the prisoners were flying off of their rock spires without any chains or wires holding them down. Windracer scanned the flying dragons, hoping to find his mother among them.

He didn't get a chance to find her, however, as an infuriated Scarlet jumped down into the arena and charged at him. Windracer spread his wings to fly away, but the queen was too fast. Within seconds, he was pinned down into the sand for the second time that day.

His secret was out. Scarlet was now aware he was an animus.

"You think by freeing every prisoner in this kingdom, that you've saved all of Pyrrhia?" Scarlet asked. Her tone was unusually calm, and that terrified Windracer. "I can always capture more dragons for my arena. And next time, you won't be there to save them." She leaned down so all Windracer could see was her eyes. "How thrilling it would have been to have you fighting in the arena. I should have killed you last night when I had the chance, but that pretty little princess had to go and interfere with my plans. What was her name? Sleet?" She then grabbed Windracer's neck in her talons, and got ready to snap it like she had done with Dune. "Well, she's dead now. Pity her attempt to save you had been in vain. Now, say goodbye, half-breed."

Windracer shifted his eyes to look at his friends, who were being pinned to the walls by Scarlet's guards. He focused his attention on Arid, who was thrashing like mad, trying to get to Windracer. He didn't want Scarlet's eyes to be the last thing he saw before he died.

Just then, Scarlet was pulled off of the hybrid. Windracer looked up to see Frost holding the queen by the neck and glaring at her.

"You killed her?"

Scarlet shook her head, her widened eyes showing fear for the first time since Windracer saw her.

Frost snarled. "I heard you! You said her name! _**You killed her!**_ " He pried Scarlet's mouth open with his talons, and, without hesitation, breathed his frostbreath down her throat.

Windracer turned his head away, his eyes shut tight. He could hear Scarlet screaming, the sound becoming more hoarse and cracking as the ice overtook her from the inside.

The stadium erupted into pandemonium. All the dragons tried to take to the sky at once, crashing into one another and clawing viciously to get away from Frost and the dying queen.

Finally, the noise stopped, and Windracer opened his eyes in time to see Frost let go of Scarlet's head. The queen fell into the sand, her mouth wide open, the scales of her head and neck a chilling blue instead of her normal orange. Icy mist seeped from her mouth, her teeth resembling icicles. Her piercing yellow eyes were now a pale blue, frozen over by a thin layer of ice.

The queen of the SkyWings was dead.

Frost panted heavily, his eyes locked on the dead queen for a few moments before shifting his gaze to Windracer. The hybrid gulped soundlessly, waiting to see what the IceWing prince would do next.

Frost raised a talon to point at Windracer. "Just this once, NightWing," he snarled. "For Sleet." Then he spread his wings and flew off, leaving Windracer shaken, but alive.

His vision had come true. The arena had erupted into chaos, Frost was the angry IceWing, and Scarlet was the dead SkyWing.

The guards on the balcony were all standing shocked at what had just occurred, when another SkyWing, a dark orange, just like Scarlet, landed on the queen's throne. "Release them at once!" she commanded.

Hesitantly, the guards released their hold on Windracer's friends, bowing to the new arrival. "Yes, Princess Tourmaline."

"It's Queen Tourmaline," the former princess corrected. "Now, grab all the jewels and gold you can find and start renovating this arena. We'll have no more of these gruesome battles! And go clean up that mess down there, the look on Mother's face is freaking me out."

Windracer flew up onto the balcony as soon as the guards dispersed. "I'm so sorry about all of that," he said. "I only wanted to free my friends, and Scarlet..."

"No need to apologize," Tourmaline said. "I'm nothing like my mother. The only reason the SkyWings have been so mean and bloodthirsty is because we've had her sitting on the throne for so long. I can assure you, things in the Sky Kingdom will be much better with me in charge. Speaking of which, I heard about Auburn's trial." She patted Windracer's shoulder. "And in light of what Osprey said, I'm dropping all charges on both you and your mother."

Windracer's voice caught in his throat for a moment, but he managed to blurt out, "Thank you!" He then turned to his friends, all free of chains and guards. He rushed toward them, finding Arid first and seizing her talons in his own. "You're okay!"

"Course I am," Arid said, squeezing his talons in response. "I was waiting for the right moment to do something."

"How in all of Pyrrhia are you able to do _that_?" Bog asked, pointing at the ice on the balcony that had come from Arid's breath.

"I never could before," Arid said, shrugging. "I didn't even know I could do that in the first place. I'm not even sure how I did it. All I remember is feeling really cold, and then, poof! Frostbreath."

"The ice," Windracer jumped in. "Dragons draw strength from their natural habitats. Like how my scales turned red after I came into contact with fire. I bet you had to encounter ice before your frostbreath could develop."

Realization dawned in Arid's eyes. "But, that would mean..."

"Arid!"

The sound of Ocotillo's voice caught Windracer's attention. He turned around to find both the SandWing and Storm landing in the sand of the arena. Ocotillo rushed onto the balcony, stopping just in front of Arid. He glanced at Windracer, who nodded, seeing the question in Ocotillo's mind.

 _This is my daughter?_

Immediately after Windracer's confirmation, Ocotillo threw his wings around Arid. "I'm so glad you're safe."

Arid pulled back and examined the SandWing. Unsure, she whispered under her breath, "Dad?"

Ocotillo nodded before holding his daughter close. Storm padded past Windracer, her eyes glaring for a moment, before joining her mate and daughter, folding her wings around both of them.

Arid looked at the IceWing, confused at first. She asked, once again in a whisper, "Mom?"

Storm locked eyes with Arid, who sucked in a breath. They were the same striking blue as her own.

 _So it's true,_ Arid thought to herself. _I'm half IceWing._

Windracer sat down quietly as he observed the family reunited. He was about to look to the skies to see if he could find his mother when Auburn suddenly charged in out of nowhere and hugged her son tightly in her wings.

"My baby!"

The hybrid cried out in surprise, but immediately hugged her back after getting over the shock.

Auburn smiled at the feeling of Windracer's talons on her back. "I thought you were dead."

"I thought _you_ were dead," Windracer replied. He kept one eye on his friends, to make sure they were alright, then buried his head into Auburn's shoulder.

All too soon, Auburn released her son from her embrace. "We need to go." She briefly locked eyes with Tourmaline, warily frightened of the new queen.

"You don't have to rush," Tourmaline offered. "Stay until you've all recovered your strength. It'll be easier for you to travel then."

Windracer bowed his head. "Thank you, Your Majesty." He turned to Scarlet's body, which had yet to be removed by the guards. "But there's something I have to do first." He leaped down into the sand, padded toward the body of the dead queen, and pulled out one of the rubies from her golden chainmail. "I enchant this ruby to teleport my leather bag, and Queen Diamond's diary, into my talons."

A moment later, Windracer's bag and a scroll bound shut with some rope appeared in his claws. Windracer checked inside his bag to make sure all of the contents were still there before he hung the bag around his neck. He then set the ruby down in the sand, pulled the rope off of the scroll and unwound it. After reading it over to make sure he had the right scroll, Windracer picked up the ruby. "Now I enchant you to spread my voice to every dragon in Pyrrhia until I say stop, and then become a normal ruby again."

If he did it, he'd be exposed. Everyone would know he had NightWing powers, and that he was an animus.

But between his own freedom and the freedom of every dragon in Pyrrhia, that was a risk he had to take.

Arid, Bog, Lagoon and the RainWing twins stared at their friend in shock. Only the IceWing-SandWing hybrid was able to find her voice. "Windracer, what are you doing?"

Windracer looked up at them. His eyes shifted from his friends, to Auburn, to Ocotillo and Storm, and then to Queen Tourmaline.

"I'm going to tell everyone the truth."

* * *

 **I wasn't sure whether to give Arid fire or frostbreath, so I gave her both!**

 **Also, Chameleon doesn't exist in this story, so Tourmaline has remained herself that whole time. She's still a much better queen than Scarlet, I can assure you. Heck, I'll bet even Kestrel would have been a better queen than Scarlet!**

 **Anyway, reviews are appreciated.**

 **Auburn - Valka  
Windracer - Hiccup  
Arid - Astrid  
** **Lagoon - Heather  
Bog - Fishlegs  
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut  
Killer - Stoick  
Inferno - Snotlout  
Scorch - Spitelout  
Frost - Dagur**


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

 **Now it's time for a certain "wings of fire" to start bringing light to Pyrrhia.**

* * *

Windracer raised the ruby he was holding to his snout. Maybe what he was about to do was the most insanely dangerous stunt he could ever pull, but all the other dragons in Pyrrhia had gone too long without knowing the truth.

"This message is for anyone and everyone in Pyrrhia who can hear me," he began. "My name is Windracer. I am the son of Auburn of the SkyWings and Killer of the NightWings."

He could hear his voice emitting from several different places, like he was speaking to every individual dragon in the Sky Kingdom, face-to-face, all at once. The ruby was doing its job, he was speaking to every dragon on the continent.

Windracer continued. "I'm a dragonet of destiny. For those of you who know the prophecy, there is something important you need to know. But there's something else you all need to know. I hold in my talons the diary of Queen Diamond, the IceWing Queen from two thousand years ago. The NightWings and IceWings haven't always been enemies."

Windracer opened the scroll he was holding and found the entry that spoke of Arctic and Foeslayer. "Allow me to read to you what really happened. 'My son has left our kingdom. I fix him up with the perfect mate, and this is the thanks I get? He's gone and eloped with a NightWing. My subjects can never know what has happened, I will never hear the end of it! Arctic was our only chance of passing down the animus genes, and he's betrayed us!'"

He skipped ahead to another entry. "'I finally captured the NightWing that stole my son. I was too late to prevent them from having dragonets, one of which has killed Arctic. No matter, the truth will die with this NightWing. Every IceWing, today and tomorrow, will hate these stalkers of the night as much as I do. The NightWings are thieves, and they will forever remain our enemy. They have stolen our last animus.'"

The hybrid paused for a moment to let the truth sink in for any and all IceWings and NightWings who had heard. He spotted Storm amongst his friends, her eyes wide with surprise and rage, though she didn't seem to be mad at Windracer. He then lowered the scroll into the sand of the arena. "Just like how Queen Diamond lied to the IceWings to create a war, someone else has been lying to all of Pyrrhia in order to win a war. And that someone is Morrowseer."

He paused once again, the sound of loud gasps from the SkyWings flowing into the wind. After the noise died down, Windracer spoke again. "The NightWings haven't had telepathy or precognition for several generations. Except for me. We get our powers by hatching in the light of the full moons. That's how I got mine. I was underneath the three full moons of the brightest night when I hatched. I am also an animus. That's how I'm sending you all this message. But you don't need to be afraid, I'm not like the dragons who have gone mad from using their power. I don't fully understand it myself, but I know that there's more to animus magic than what we think. The thing is, I haven't used any of my powers until most recently because I was too afraid of who I was. Afraid of what I'd become. But I'm not anymore. The prophecy you all know, the one Morrowseer delivered, it's all a fake. But there is one I've given that I can assure you is real."

He paused a third time to take a breath before he spoke his prophecy loud and clear.

" _An ongoing fight for an empty throne  
A nightmare hidden within a hive  
Unite all talons on two continents,  
Or none of the tribes will survive_

 _A danger lurks beneath the ground  
A secret lies within a book  
The strength within can save the lives  
Of those brave enough to look_

 _Beware the dragon that travels through dreams,  
Beware the one who is not what he seems,  
The dragon whose fate is stronger and higher  
Will have the power of wings of fire_

 _It's time to race the wind..._ "

Unlike when he spoke the prophecy the first time, when it was all jumbled and odd, his voice was confident and full of pride. No longer would he be hiding his powers. Sure, Morrowseer and other NightWings in on the plot behind the fake prophecy would come for him, but he was no longer the insecure dragonet that had been hidden under a mountain his whole life. The dragons of Pyrrhia needed a hero, so that's what he was going to try to be.

"If you feel you have nothing else to believe in, believe in that prophecy. Believe in us. Believe in me. We can't do this alone, which is why I'm asking for your help. Only when we unite all talons in this world can we succeed in saving each other. I'm not asking as a dragonet of destiny, but as a friend. Help us end this war. Help us end all wars. It's a brave, new world out there, and it belongs to everyone."

Satisfied with his speech, Windracer whispered to the ruby, "Stop." And just like that, silence fell over the Sky Kingdom, and all the rest of Pyrrhia. Sighing, Windracer dropped the ruby, now devoid of all animus magic, into the sand beneath his talons. He sat there for what felt like forever, wondering what the outcome of his message would be. He snapped out of his reverie when he felt talons patting his shoulder. He looked up to find Arid smiling at him.

"That was a very brave thing you did, Windracer."

That got his heart fluttering with a very pleasant warmth he didn't want to leave.

"Send a message to all the other queens," Tourmaline declared to the guards, who were returning with their talons full of gold and jewels. "Except the NightWings and SandWing sisters. We all need to unite our forces. This war has gone on for far too long, and if that hybrid's prophecy..."

"Windracer," said hybrid interjected. "My name is Windracer."

Tourmaline gave him a curt nod in thanks. "If Windracer's prophecy is true, then these dragonets will need all the help they can get." She smiled at the dragonets. "We can start by allowing them to spend the night here, as our guests."

* * *

No one really expected Queen Tourmaline to have a party for the dragonets, but that's what she did. A dinner and dance party right in the palace ballroom.

Everywhere he turned, Windracer encountered a SkyWing decorated in either guard armor or jewelry. The guards he accidentally bumped into didn't scowl or snap at him. Instead, they smiled and patted him on the back.

Except for one, who stomped on Windracer's tail.

The hybrid turned to find Inferno, with his face still bandaged, giving him a glare that reminded Windracer of Kestrel. The young guard pointed at his face. "You know, this is all your fault."

"How is it my fault?" Windracer asked, his voice heavy with annoyance. He wasn't the one who caught Ocotillo's attention during his fight with Inferno, and he certainly wasn't the one who scarred his cousin's face.

Inferno couldn't find an answer to that question, but he didn't drop his accusational act. "Don't try and change the subject! Ever since you've been brought here to the Sky Kingdom, nothing but bad luck has happened! I'd still have my devilishly handsome face if it wasn't for you!" He advanced on Windracer, who stepped back with every step forward his cousin took. "I don't care if we're related through our moms, I should kill you right now! I'm still the Queen's Champion!"

"Scarlet is dead," Windracer said. His voice was surprisingly calm. "Tourmaline is the queen of the SkyWings now, and she doesn't like the arena. You're not going to be a champion anymore, Inferno." He bumped against the wall of the ballroom, trapped.

"I don't care!" Inferno snapped. "You and me! Fight! Here! Now!" He gave his cousin a sly smile. "Unless you're too afraid to fight me."

Windracer was afraid for a minute, but he took a breath and swallowed that fear. "No. I'm not afraid of you, Inferno." Now it was his turn to advance, and Inferno's turn to step back. "You only fight other dragons because it makes you look strong and tough. But the only thing strong about you is your pride and arrogance." The hybrid ignored the stares directed at them as their argument became more public. This was between him and his cousin, no one else. "You can keep pretending to be the kind of dragon everyone dreams of being, but if you're not going to do or say anything good to me and my friends, then you should leave. Now."

"Well," Inferno started, his voice wavering nervously. His back was against the wall opposite of the one Windracer had been pinned against. The young SkyWing guard forced himself to sound tough. "What if I don't want to...?"

Windracer cut him off. "I said _**now!**_ " Then he roared, long and loud. If dragons had fur, Inferno's would have blown back from the force of his cousin's roar. Windracer ignored the throbbing dryness of his throat, he had never roared like this before. But he continued on until he was certain his cousin got the message. When he stopped, Inferno's eyes were wide in amazement and fear. The young guard ducked under Windracer's wings and bailed out of the room, his tail tucked ever so subtly between his back legs.

Feeling a set of eyes on him from behind, Windracer turned to find Kestrel staring. Instead of her usual scowl, however, her eyes were wide with pure, undeniable amazement. She shook it away, however, when she caught the hybrid looking at her.

Windracer knew Kestrel would never admit she'd been impressed.

Queen Tourmaline was there in an instant. "Is everyone alright?" She looked to Kestrel, who stalked away, indifferent.

"I am now," Windracer replied, bowing slightly. "I could use a drink, though."

Nodding, Tourmaline gestured for one of the guards to bring her a goblet, which she then handed to Windracer. The young hybrid eyed the contents of the goblet, his nose crinkled in suspicion.

"It's only water," the new SkyWing queen assured him. "I'd offer you wine, but I doubt you've ever had that before."

Windracer shook his head before lifting the goblet to his mouth and downing all the water in it. The roar had really dried out his throat. "Now I'm hungry. Is there anything to eat?"

Tourmaline gestured to a buffet table with her wing. Several different types of food, mostly meat, decorated the flat surface. Windracer spotted Bog, hungry as ever, stuffing several talonfuls of meat and whatnot into his mouth, even going so far as to snatch things out of the talons of some nearby SkyWings. The hybrid chuckled at the sight. He padded toward the buffet, weaving his way through the dragons that were mingling. When he finally reached the table, he found a medium-sized pig with bits and pieces of its meat gone, courtesy of other hungry dragons who liked the taste. Windracer cut off a piece with his claws, sniffing it cautiously. Overwhelmed by the delicious smell, he couldn't help devouring the slab of meat. "Not bad."

"That's what I thought, too."

Windracer jumped at the sudden voice, but relaxed somewhat when he realized it was Arid. Ocotillo and Storm were with her. The hybrid cowered a little as the IceWing approached him.

"I owe you an apology," Storm said, her voice calm and collected. "I was wrong about you, NightWi...I mean Windracer." She gave him a genuine smile. "I'm glad my daughter has a friend like you."

Momentarily speechless, Windracer barely managed to utter, "Thanks," before Storm and Ocotillo left to share a dance. It had been a while since they could show affection for one another, after all.

Now Windracer was alone with Arid. That was either really good, or he was about to make a fool of himself. Looking her over, he noticed that most of the scales on her legs and back were now white instead of a pale yellow. He hadn't expected her to start looking more like an IceWing so soon after finally being exposed to ice for the first time in her life.

She looked much more beautiful now...

Shaking himself back to his senses, Windracer finally choked out, "Nice party, huh?"

"It is," Arid said. "Though I never would have thought a SkyWing queen would be holding it. Especially not with us as the guests of honor." She looked over Windracer's shoulder at the RainWing twins. The color-changing duo were trying to figure out how to shoot venom out of their fangs, with minimal success (fortunately).

Windracer spotted Lagoon over Arid's shoulder. The SeaWing dragonet gestured to Arid with her talons, but her eyes remained locked with Windracer's. The hybrid knew that Lagoon was the only one, besides himself, who knew about his crush on Arid. Bog was always more concerned with food, Marmoset and Mango were always hiding and pulling pranks, and of course Arid didn't know.

Lagoon kept gesturing with her claws, first to Windracer, then to Arid, and finally to the dragons dancing in the middle of the ballroom. Windracer didn't have to read her mind, the message was clear.

 _Ask her to dance!_

Gulping nervously, Windracer locked eyes with Arid. "So...what's it like to use frostbreath?"

"Hey!" Lagoon half-whispered, half-yelled at him. "What are you doing?!"

Surprisingly, Arid didn't seem to hear her. "I'm not sure," she said. "The only thing I know for sure is that I felt really cold. Can't imagine how Scarlet must have felt."

Windracer shuddered. "I certainly wouldn't want to find out."

"Me neither," Arid said, chuckling. After a moment of awkward silence, she shrugged her wings. "Well, I'm going to go find my parents. There's still a few questions I want to ask. I'll see you later, Wind."

That last word made him freeze. "That's...that's what Sleet called me. Before she...you know..."

Arid's smile faded. "Wind?" When he nodded in confirmation, se sighed sadly. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know..."

"It's okay," Windracer said quickly. "You can call me that, if you want to."

Arid's smile returned, she patted his shoulder with her talons before heading to the dance floor by herself. Windracer immediately met the face of Lagoon, who was glaring at him in disappointment and frustration.

"What?" he asked. "What did you expect me to say? 'Hey, hot stuff, I was wondering if you'd like to dance, but I'm so crazy in love with you that I can't even talk to you without going completely bonkers!' Pretty ridiculous, right?"

Lagoon opened her mouth to say something, then stopped, her eyes focusing on something behind Windracer. The SkyWing-NightWing hybrid followed her gaze, his heart skipping a beat and his stomach doing a backflip when he saw what she was looking at.

Arid was standing right behind him. And the look on her face told him that she had heard everything he had just said.

Windracer lowered his head in embarrassment. "Oops."

* * *

Elsewhere, on an island that was mostly volcanoes, Morrowseer was raging with anger.

"That Killer went and made an egg with a SkyWing?! And their half-breed dragonet has **_powers!_** "

Of course, Windracer's message had also been sent to the NightWings. Their home was still technically a part of Pyrrhia, so Windracer's spell to spread his voice to all the dragons of Pyrrhia had worked on them, too.

"Where's Killer?!" Morrowseer demanded.

"We don't know," a female NightWing answered. "He hasn't returned from that assignment we gave him."

Morrowseer grumbled, "He'll be on the run, now that he knows." He turned to the female and one other NightWing with a bent tail. "Eclipse, Preyhunter!"

Both NightWings stood at attention.

"Find the half-breed and his father," Morrowseer said with a snarl. "Bring them both to me!"

* * *

 **The only thing I can really say right now is "Happy Halloween."**

 **Auburn - Valka  
Windracer - Hiccup  
Arid - Astrid  
** **Lagoon - Heather  
Bog - Fishlegs  
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut  
Killer - Stoick  
Inferno - Snotlout  
Scorch - Spitelout  
Frost - Dagur**


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

 **Let me tell you guys, the adventure isn't the only thing that will be progressing in this chapter.**

* * *

After his accidental confession of his feelings for Arid, Windracer no longer felt like mingling in a large crowd of dragons. So, he went outside. The tower where the banquet was being held had a balcony, which gave him a very nice view of the setting sun. He sat down and watched for what seemed like an eternity when a certain IceWing-SandWing hybrid padded out next to him.

"Mind if I join you?"

Windracer was startled, he hadn't expected her to follow him. Unable to form words, he just nodded.

Arid took it as an invitation to sit with him, so she did. "This is actually my first time seeing a sunset," she said. "It's really beautiful."

Suddenly able to form words again, Windracer sighed. "It sure is." He wasn't referring to the sunset, though. His eyes were locked on Arid. He quickly looked away when Arid shifted her gaze to him, but she had already seen.

Chuckling to herself, Arid shifted closer to Windracer. "So, you're in love with me?"

"Yes," Windracer admitted. He thanked his lucky stars his scales were too dark to show any blush. "Ever since I was old enough to start noticing females. And I didn't tell you because...because I believed I wasn't the kind of dragon you'd be interested in."

"I never really thought about being in a relationship," Arid said. "Bit hard to, with the guardians always breathing down our necks and preparing us for that prophecy. You could have told me, though. It's not like I would have ripped your wings off, or anything."

Windracer gave her a nervous smile. "That's not the only thing I haven't told you. A while back, I had a vision. Well, it was actually more of a dream, and it's become a much more frequent thing recently. We were together, and...there were dragonets." When she didn't reply, he quickly summed it all up. "I had a vision of us having dragonets."

"I know, I understood you the first time," Arid said assuringly. "When did that first happen?"

Windracer looked away sheepishly. "Not long after I started crushing on you."

Smiling, Arid laid a talon on his shoulder. "Can you tell me about them?"

"Oh?" Windracer turned to look at her. He'd only just heard the names of their future dragonets from a dream he'd had last night. Deciding it wouldn't hurt to share this information with Arid, he replied, "Well...there's Skyfire, the telepath. Then there's Bluemoon, the king of ice. Then there's the twins, Dawnbreaker and Duskflight. And the last one..." He paused for a moment, then finished, "...the last one is named Oasis."

He hadn't expected Arid to still be there when he finished. The smile she was giving him made his insides turn into mush. "They sound nice," the female hybrid mused. "I can't wait to meet them."

Windracer was sure he had imagined that. "Really? You...you're okay with all that? I mean...I thought you would have...I never really told anyone about that vision, because...I was afraid of what you'd think. If you didn't love me back..."

"I did love you," Arid admitted. "But more like a brother. Then we got older, and I started noticing that..." She hesitated. Which was odd, because she never hesitated. "...that I was seeing you differently. You were always so nice and considerate of others, putting our needs before your own and defending us from the guardians' insults. Then you started being brave, protecting your mother from Scarlet and trying to convince Frost that there was another solution other than fighting. And what you did for all of those dragons out there caught in battle, fighting for a throne that isn't theirs, you told them all the truth and sought to give them hope in a way none of us could even imagine." She moved her talons down off of his shoulder, finding his and clasping them tightly. "You have all the qualities that I admire, Wind."

Speechless to say the least, Windracer gazed down at their intertwined talons. Her white scales and serrated claws reminded him of the IceWings, specifically Princess Sleet. He didn't want what happened to Frost's sister to happen to Arid. Morrowseer would be coming for him, Windracer knew that, did he really want to risk being with Arid now of all times?

"Arid, I..."

He stopped, a small wave of thoughts that weren't his own invading his mind.

 _Is he going to say it? Why does he look so depressed? Maybe it wasn't a good idea to talk to him..._

Knowing those thoughts were Arid's, Windracer quickly stated, "I want to say it, I really do. But, Arid, if Morrowseer, or some other dragon who might want us dead, found out about this, and something happened to you, I...I just couldn't live with myself." He forced himself to look her in the eyes. Her beautiful, blue eyes...

"I love you," he blurted out. The rest came tumbling out of his mouth like an avalanche on a mountaintop. "You're all I think about and I want to be near you and it hurts when I'm not, and everything I do, I think, what would Arid want me to do? And I think you're the only dragon who sees me the whole way I am and likes me anyway...When I found out you were half IceWing, I couldn't bring myself to dislike you, because I knew you more than I knew IceWings. I don't want you to hate me because of what the other NightWings are planning, you know me more than you know NightWings, you know I'm not like my father's tribe. Don't look at me like I'm one of them, like I could ever do what they've done. I know, it's a lot to take in, but...I had to tell you, in case something happens to either one of us, although if anything happens to you I don't know how I'd be able to breathe or think or do anything ever again, and...please, just feel free to stop me at any time..."

Chuckling, Arid held up a talon to silence him. "Windracer, stop. Three moons, I didn't think you cared about me that much."

"I always have," Windracer blurted out. Then he clamped his jaw shut with his talons. How many more things was he going to say without thinking? Hopefully not much else, he was already as embarrassed as one could get.

Arid didn't seem to mind his accidental outbursts, however. Then again, she was probably more prepared after what he had let slip earlier in the ballroom. "I love you, too, Windracer."

Stupefied, Windracer released his jaw, lowering his talons to the floor of the balcony. "But...Morrowseer..."

"Doesn't have to know," Arid finished. "We can keep this between the two of us, until we feel it's safe enough to go public."

A secret relationship. That sounded both interesting and risky. Windracer was too caught up in the thrill of Arid loving him back to stress about the idea. "Alright," he finally said. He glanced back into the ballroom behind them. "So...would you, maybe...like to dance, or...something?"

Arid grasped his talons in her own, her face breaking out into a huge smile. "Why, Wind, I thought you'd never ask."

As the new couple padded back into the ballroom, talons intertwined, they failed to notice the blue SeaWing that had been spying on them from inside. Lagoon trotted away from the doorway that led to the balcony, muttering under her breath, "Finally."

* * *

Queen Tourmaline called the dragonets to the throne room that was once her mother's rather early the next morning. Windracer started to bow, but Tourmaline held up a talon to stop him. "You don't have to do that."

"I'm half SkyWing," Windracer remined her. "You're as much my queen as you are to my mother."

Tourmaline caught herself smiling. "Very well. If you wish, you may bow." The hybrid obliged. He stayed there until the queen stated, "At ease."

Windracer stood up at her request. "May I ask why you have brought us all here, Your Majesty?"

"You don't have to call me that," Tourmaline said. But she went along with it anyway. "We've received a message from the Mud Kingdom. Apparently, Queen Moorhen is interested in meeting all of you. She wishes to speak to the dragonet responsible for the speech across the continent."

Bog suddenly brightened up. "Maybe while we're there, we'll find my family!" he exclaimed. "I've always wondered what my parents are like."

"Dim and hungry, like you."

That comment came from Kestrel, who was standing off to the side with Auburn, Ocotillo, Storm, Scorch, and the still-bandaged Inferno. Windracer wondered how he didn't notice them earlier.

"While you're at it," Lagoon said, unfazed by the SkyWing's insult, "Tell us what you know about our eggs and where we came from."

Kestrel snorted. "Well, there's no surprises with you. Webs stole your egg from the SeaWing queen's own hatchery."

"I'm royalty?" Lagoon asked, looking surprised and thoughtful.

Kestrel ignored her question. "My sister brought us Windracer's egg." She glared at Auburn as she said that. "Dune found Arid's egg in the desert, hidden near the Scorpion Den. And the glutton over there came from somewhere around the Diamond Spray Delta, near the sea, where the lowest-born MudWings crawl." She then looked at Marmoset and Mango. "I have no idea. Webs scrounged you two up somewhere after we lost the SkyWing egg. I never cared where, because I knew you weren't important."

Auburn went to join the dragonets, looking hurt and disgusted by her sister's words. "I'll go with you to the delta," she told Windracer. "I've waited far too long to see you again, I'm never letting you out of my sight."

"But, the other dragons..." Windracer began, but Auburn cut him off.

"Listen to me," she said. "I'm not ashamed of you, or of where you came from. If other dragons have a problem with it, that's their problem. It's not against the law to be with a dragon from another tribe. It just...hardly ever happens, that's all. Usually each tribe keeps to itself. Which makes you rare, but not illegal, or taboo, or anything like that. Don't ever let any dragon make you feel like you shouldn't exist." Auburn spared a glance at Kestrel before she brushed her front talons over her son's head and horns and cupped his snout. "Windracer, you are perfect just the way you are. Powers and all."

 _I second that,_ Arid thought in her new boyfriend's general direction. He smiled at her to show he heard it.

Ocotillo went to embrace his daughter. "That goes for you, too, Arid." Storm folded her wing over the two of them, expressing those words even more so.

"You should all get going," Kestrel said, a little too eagerly. "When you realize you need me, you can send a message through the SkyWings. Not that I'll come running, mind you." She glared at her nephew. "You deserve all the trouble that's coming to you, Windracer."

The SkyWing-NightWing hybrid couldn't remember the last time Kestrel had called him by name. Call him crazy, but to him it was worth more than a thousand goodbyes.

Tourmaline gestured to the throne room exit with her wing. "Please, you may go. I wish you luck. If you ever need shelter, you are always welcome in my kingdom."

Windracer gave a slight bow in appreciation. "Thank you, Tourmaline."

With that, Auburn, Ocotillo, Storm and the dragonets left the room. It led straight out into the open air, as it was the Sky Kingdom, and Windracer was the first to spread his wings. This was the first time he had ever really flown, and it was exhilarating. He whooped and laughed as he flew this way and that, even performing loop-the-loops. His wings ignited with flames of delight, but Windracer didn't care if anyone saw it. For the first time in his life, he felt free.

He caught a glimpse of his mother and Arid, both smiling at him proudly as they followed him through the air. Lagoon wasn't too far behind, while Bog was flapping his wings more frequently and the twins were constantly pushing and shoving trying to out-fly the other. Ocotillo and Storm were in the middle of the somewhat sloppy formation, their wings overlapping by nearly three feet.

Windracer shifted his gaze to the sky, blue and gold and bright. He wasn't sure how they would fulfill his prophecy and end the war. He didn't know how the other dragon tribes would react to them. He knew that Morrowseer and the SandWing sisters would be hunting them down.

But he knew what he was here to do. Stand beside his friends, and lead them through thick and thin, no matter what. Visions of pained dragons and fritghening foes flashed before his eyes, but he ignored them. Whatever was coming, they would face it together.

 _Big Heroic Destiny, here we come._

* * *

Somewhere hidden deep within the rainforest that was the kingdom of the RainWings, a NightWing mother was rejoicing.

"There's another NightWing with powers," she said. Her dragonet watched her with wide eyes. They'd both heard the message sent by Windracer, but while the mother was quite happy, her daughter was rather confused and frightened.

"There's another dragon out there like you," the mother said, her voice more gentle and calm.

The dragonet shook her head. "I'm nothing like him, mother." That wasn't entirely true. Like Windracer, she had a silver teardrop scale on the outside corner of each eye, signifying her mind-reading powers. That wasn't all, she could also see the future.

"We need to find Windracer," said the mother. "I know he'll help us. You won't be alone anymore."

The dragonet stared into her mother's eyes, fearful and sad. "But what if we don't?"

The mother NightWing clasped her daughter's talons tightly within her own.

"We will find him, Moon."

* * *

Elsewhere, in a part of the rainforest not far from where Moon and her mother were hiding, Vivid was relaxing in a tree. She'd found her way back after escaping the Sky Kingdom, though she regretted leaving the dragonets behind.

The RainWing's eyes drifted down to the bracelet that was still on her forearm. The bracelet Windracer enchanted to give whoever was wearing it super strength. If she'd had time, she would have given it back to him before she left.

"Hey, Vivid!"

The RainWing lifted her head to see another of her kind, ten years old and the color of chocolate, swooping down from the treetops above. She smiled. "Hello, Hoatzin."

"Not just me," Hoatzin said, smiling back at his girlfriend. Another RainWing, around three years old with bright yellow scales and hot pink wings and ruff, was flying in behind him.

Vivid smiled as the dragonet came barreling into her, crying out, "Big sister!"

"I missed you, Paradise," Vivid murmured in her little sister's ear.

Hoatzin smiled at the two sisters reunited before he noticed the bracelet on Vivid's arm. "Is that a bracelet?" he asked.

Vivid squirmed out of Paradise's tight grip and nodded at her boyfriend.

"Who gave it to you?" Hoatzin asked, his eyes narrowed. Vivid guessed he was suspecting that she was having an affair with someone else. She gave him a reassuring smile before gazing down at the bracelet. She could still remember how awful it was being held captive by the NightWings on their horrible volcanic island, it would probably haunt her nightmares for the rest of her life. But Windracer was kind, helpful, and respected Vivid as a dragon rather than an object, like most others outside the RainWing tribe did.

Realizing that she'd yet to answer Hoatzin's question, Vivid looked him in the eyes and stated clearly, "A friend."

* * *

Frost ended up flying right into Burn and her soldiers while trying to escape the Sky Kingdom. Now he was being held in the SandWing princess's stronghold. The strongest SandWing soldiers he'd ever encountered were pinning him against the wall. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn't get free.

Burn stared the IceWing prince down. "Morrowseer's prophecy may be fake, but there can only be one queen of the SandWings. I want you to go to Queen Glacier and get her and the IceWings to side with me. My sisters won't be able to withstand armies from three tribes."

"The IceWings will never follow you," Frost snarled. "Now let me go, or you'll be sorry!"

"Sorry I haven't done this sooner," Burn grumbled. She turned to her soldiers and said, "Put him in the tower, and keep him there until I figure out what to do with him."

The last thing that went through Frost's head, before the SandWings knocked him out, was how in all of Pyrrhia had he gotten himself into this situation.

* * *

Queen Glacier sat upon her throne, looking over the NightWing that she had been keeping in custody. He was being restrained by two guards, of course. Beside the queen was a set of smaller thrones for her daughters, only two of which were attending. A six-year-old named Snowfall and a four-year old named Borealis.

"Tell me again why you came to my kingdom," Glacier ordered the NightWing.

The black dragon sighed. "Morrowseer sent me. He wanted me to kill the queen and make the kingdom fall. But I'm through taking orders. What Morrowseer is doing is wrong, and I won't follow him any longer."

"How do we know he's telling the truth?" asked one of the guards, his grip on the NightWing firm.

"The message sent by the dragonet is no laughing matter," Glacier said. "No animus would waste their powers on something that wasn't so serious. I should know, IceWing royalty used to have animus dragons, and they were never ones to waste their magic." She glared at the NightWing. "Killer, was it?"

The NightWing nodded wordlessly.

Queen Glacier looked back at the guards. "Take him beyond the borders of the kingdom and release him. After what we've all heard, I'm sure he has better things to do than play the role of an assassin."

"Mother, you can't!" Snowfall cried, standing up on her throne.

Glacier ignored her daughter's shouts of protest. "While you're at it," she told the guards, "Find the dragonets of destiny. I wish to have a word with Windracer personally."

Nodding obediently, the guards escorted Killer out of the throne room.

"How could you do that, Mother?!" Snowfall shrieked. "He's a NightWing! He tried to kill you!"

"If what the hybrid animus said is true," said Queen Glacier, "We need to end this meaningless feud. We can start by giving him a second chance."

"And who knows," said Borealis, "Maybe they'll find Sleet and Frost while they're at it."

Glacier stared at the spot where Killer and the guards had been moments before. "One can only hope."

The whole way to the area where the Ice Kingdom ended, Killer paid no mind to the guards escorting him. His thoughts were on the message Windracer had sent to all the dragons of Pyrrhia, including him.

Killer shook his head, a disbelieving smile curling his snout. "I have a son..."

* * *

Kestrel hadn't been completely honest when she said she wouldn't come running to save the dragonets. The moment she heard they were in potential danger, she up and left the Sky Kingdom in search of them.

She immediately regretted her actions when she found out it was a trap set by Blister and Morrowseer. The SandWing princess held Kestrel in her talons, with Morrowseer towering over both of them.

"Trust me, you're the one," he said. "We've chosen you to be the next SandWing queen."

Blister regarded him with glittering black eyes. She was smaller than Burn, with a long, cunning face and a black diamond pattern running down her spine. She had an eerie stillness about her, like a venomous snake about to strike. Unlike her sisters, she had no scars. She was much too clever to do any of the fighting herself.

"The facade is over," Kestrel snarled. "We all know your prophecy is fake. I couldn't care less myself, but I still won't let this war drag on until the end of time."

Blister sneered at the SkyWing. "You won't have to."

Kestrel didn't have time to register the devious princess's words as Blister plunged her poisonous tail straight into the SkyWing's heart. In mere moments, she was dead.

Blister released Kestrel's body, which Morrowseer then pushed off the cliff they'd been standing on. Both dragons watched the dead SkyWing fall into the ocean waves below.

"There's one more," Morrowseer said. "A SeaWing named Webs. If he made it out of the mountain, he'll be looking for them, too. We need him dead before we can dispose of the dragonets, especially that half-breed."

"Not a problem," Blister said. She stared out at the pounding sea below them. "What's a few more dead dragons here and there on my way to the throne?"

Morrowseer smiled. "Then we understand each other."

"Kill the dragonets," she said with a wicked grin, "And we'll both get everything we want."

* * *

 **Yay, Aridracer! (Just made that up)**

 ** **Both friend and foe will be looking for the dragonets, now. Let's hope the former finds them first.****

 **And just to clear the air, the protagonists from the second arc (minus Peril) will appear in this story. I'm very much looking forward to when Windracer meets Moonwatcher.**

 **Auburn - Valka  
Windracer - Hiccup  
Arid - Astrid  
** **Lagoon - Heather  
Bog - Fishlegs  
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut  
Killer - Stoick  
Inferno - Snotlout  
Scorch - Spitelout  
Frost - Dagur**


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

 **Let's meet some of the other dragon queens of Pyrrhia, shall we?**

* * *

It didn't take long for Windracer and his friends to reach the Mud Kingdom. Especially since it wasn't that far from the Sky Kingdom. Even so, he'd spent the entire flight going over what he'd say to Queen Moorhen in his head. One wrong word could lead to things going in a very horrible direction.

When the group finally landed outside a palace made entirely out of the same material as the mud-and-plant-made sleephouses that were built to house several dragons, they found themselves surrounded by MudWings carrying spears. Windracer wasn't too surprised at that, since SandWings, IceWings and SeaWings were the MudWing enemy in the war. But he'd hoped, after sending his message, the tribes would be more open to dragons outside their species...

"State your business!" bellowed the largest of the guards, his spear pointing right at them.

Before Windracer could speak, Auburn padded forward, the mud squelching underneath her talons. "We're here on behalf of Queen Moorhen's request," she said calmly. "She wishes to speak to my son, Windracer."

Eyebrows raised, the guard lowered his spear. "My apologies. We didn't expect to see you all here so soon." He gestured to the palace with his wing. "Please, you may proceed."

Gulping nervously, Windracer padded towards the MudWing palace. Loud squishing sounds from the mud signaled that Arid was rushing to join him before he felt the familiar hot-and-cold scales of her wings brushing against his. Stopping at the foot of the palace entrance, the male hybrid called, "Queen Moorhen?"

Moments later, a russet-colored head poked out of the entrance to the mud-and-plant-made palace. Then the rest of the MudWing's body followed. She was big, as big as Morrowseer, or maybe even bigger. Various gemstones were embedded onto her head and ankles, which provided the only clue that she was the queen.

Moorhen's eyes landed on the dragon who called her name. "You must be Windracer. Not quite how I pictured you, but I suppose you can never tell with hybrids. May I speak to you alone?"

Windracer looked over his shoulder at his friends. Auburn would be fine, since SkyWings and MudWings were supposed to be allies, but who knows what the guards would do to the others when he wasn't looking.

"You don't need to worry," Moorhen said. "I'll be sure those who have accompanied you will be safe in my kingdom." MudWings couldn't read minds, obviously, but she had been able to read the expression on Windracer's face. It was the same expression she wore whenever she was worried about her fellow MudWings.

Now reassured, Windracer nodded and followed the queen to an open swamp.

"Anyone who isn't a NightWing is aware of how mysterious and secretive they are," said Moorhen. She allowed Windracer to climb up onto her back to avoid sinking into the mud as she walked on. "What I can't believe is how you strived to expose all of your kind, even if only half of your blood belongs to them. Me, I would do anything to protect my tribe, but, then again, I suppose we can't all be MudWings, can we?"

Windracer shook his head awkwardly. "No, I...I guess we can't," he said. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but could you maybe tell me a bit more about MudWings? I only know what I've learned from Bog while we were all hiding under a mountain."

Moorhen glanced at him over his shoulder, a ghost of a smile on her snout. "Ask away, young one."

In between questions about Windracer's powers and the prophecy, the kind MudWing queen was happy to explain MudWing life to him. She told him that MudWing dragons had breeding nights once a month, and then the couples likely never saw each other again after that. The mothers laid their eggs in warm mud nests protected by walls of hot rocks. They were so safe that the mother never needed to check on them, and the dragonets were usually born whenever she wasn't there. The firstborn, or bigwings, as they were called, was always the biggest, and his or her first task was to help the other dragonets out of their eggs by cracking their shells from the outside.

"So from then on, the bigwings takes care of all the others," Queen Moorhen said. "Just like how I watch out for all of my tribe."

"But, if the group is so tightly knit," Windracer mused, "And MudWing mothers don't know which dragonets are theirs, how do you choose an heir to the throne?"

Moorhen frowned. "I have yet to think about that. My biggest concern is protecting my fellow MudWings. Burn promised us immunity from attack for the next hundred years if we helped her win. If we don't...she'll destroy us. She is a powerful enemy, Windracer. A lot more powerful than you, and she's an enemy I don't intend to make."

"Then maybe it's time for a change," Windracer suggested. "Things have remained the same since the Scorching, at least that's what I've heard. What if we tried something new? Like MudWing parents actually getting to know their dragonets, or choosing queens based on who's the best candidate instead of focusing on royal blood?"

The queen of the MudWings gave him a sad smile. "There is wisdom in your words," she said. "But I'm afraid the times are not so easily changed on Pyrrhia." She turned at started heading back the way they had come. "We best get you back to your friends. MudWing or not, you're their bigwings."

"Speaking of MudWings," Windracer said, "Can you help us find Bog's family? A caretaker of ours said he came from a blood-red egg that was laid somewhere in the Diamond Spray Delta." He wasn't sure if 'caretaker' was the best word to describe Kestrel, but he didn't know what else to call her that wasn't an offense.

"I will see what I can do," Queen Moorhen said simply.

* * *

There was no party for the dragonets this time, but they were still welcome in Queen Moorhen's kingdom. Even Ocotillo, Storm, Arid and Lagoon were being treated kindly by the guards who held them at spearpoint moments ago.

Moorhen had laid out a sort of impromptu banquet for their guests, after learning that they'd yet to have lunch. Bog, of course, was having the most fun, stuffing food in his maw and wallowing around in the mud like an overexcited one-year-old. He didn't mind being tripped by the tails of the camouflaged RainWing twins, so long as it meant he'd fall in the mud and get more dirty.

Windracer was sitting by a pond, trying to wash the mud off his talons, when four more MudWings arrived. Windracer realized they were dragonets, not yet full-grown. The biggest one looked like he came to around Burn's shoulders, with warm golden-amber eyes and a recent claw-mark would on his tail. The smallest dragon was about two-thirds the size of Bog.

Curious as to what the newcomers wanted, Windracer followed them as the approached the queen.

"We came for info you sent regarding the blood egg," said the biggest dragonet. Windracer guessed he was the bigwings of the group. Then the littlest one jumped in with an arsenal of questions. "Do you know what happened to it? Did it hatch? Who came out? Where's the dragonet?"

"Who's asking?" Windracer said. Bog rose up out of the mud to see what was going on.

The four dragonets looked at the two. "I'm Alligator," said the biggest one. "This is Squelch, Sepia, and Newt." The smallest one, Newt, waved at Bog.

"I'm Windracer, and this is Bog," Windracer answered.

Alligator's eyes fixed on Bog. "Are you the dragonet who hatched from the blood egg?" he asked. "Are you our missing sib?"

Bog flexed his talons nervously. "I think so? I mean, I do know I came from a red egg, but I don't know where, exactly..." He trailed off when he noticed the warm smiles the siblings were giving him.

"You're our brother," Squelch said, gripping Bog's talons in her own. "You should have been with us all along."

Windracer left to give the siblings some space. The last thing he wanted was to be buried under a dragon pile in the mud. He found Arid and Lagoon talking nearby and went over to them, eager to reveal what he had learned about MudWings.

The two females listened to their friend with interest, with Lagoon jumping in after he had finished. "So, where are we going next?"

"Well," Windracer said with a smile, "I've been thinking that Queen Coral would be interested in meeting her long-lost daughter."

Lagoon's eyes lit up with excitement. "Are you suggesting we head to the sea?"

"As long as it's okay with the others," Windracer replied, glancing nervously at Arid. He knew from reading her thoughts that she had plans of going to the ice and sand kingdoms at some point.

Thankfully, the IceWing-SandWing hybrid didn't look all that upset. "We'll go wherever you lead," she paused, then finished with a warm smile, "Bigwings."

Windracer thought his heart was about to leap out of his chest. He didn't care whether that was supposed to be a pet name or not, he knew Arid was right. He wasn't a MudWing, not in the slightest. But he was their leader. Their friend.

Their bigwings.

The sound of splashing mud brought their attention to Bog, who was padding over to meet them, his siblings following. "So, where are we headed next?"

Sepia frowned at her brother's question. "You want to go with them?" she asked, nervously.

"You can join us," Alligator offered. "There's more fighting ahead, and we can always use another strong dragon at our side."

Bog shook his head. "I'm no fighter. Besides, my friends need me. And no offense, but I don't really know a thing about MudWing customs."

"The MudWing guardian that brought Bog's egg under the mountain died from injuries she sustained in a crossfire," Windracer explained quickly. "All we had was a SandWing, a SkyWing, and a SeaWing to take care of the six of us. But it wasn't really all bad..." Windracer wouldn't let himself be caught saying anything ill about the guardians, especially when Kestrel was one of them.

Little Newt started bouncing up and down, ignoring his own disappointment with Bog's decision to stay with his friends. "Good luck with that prophecy!"

"Thanks," said Bog. "Maybe after we've stopped the war...I could come back?"

"You're one of us," Alligator said with a smile. "You can come back anytime."

"I hope you do," Squelch said. The others nodded.

Windracer looked from Bog to the four MudWings that were his friend's siblings. He could hear all their thoughts, the siblings' sadness at their brother leaving so soon, and Bog's concern for his brothers and sisters, and how much he was hoping they'd still be alive when the war finally ended.

But if Windracer had to do with anything, he'd never let the lives of innocent dragons be lost in a fight that their tribe had been dragged into.

He snapped back to reality when he felt Arid's wings brushing against his own. "So, what now, bigwings?" she asked with a warm smile.

Windracer returned her smile. "We'll be like the MudWings. We'll stick together. No matter what happens."

Bog looked at the pair, confused at their intimacy, while Lagoon just sat and watched, a smile the size of Pyrrhia on her snout. Whether it was directed at her friends' relationship, or the idea that they'd be heading to the ocean very soon, she wasn't sure.

* * *

Webs dragged his long, aching body out of the river he'd been hiding in. Shocked, to say the very least, at the wording of Windracer's message. He'd already been informed of Morrowseer's prophecy being fake from Auburn, but the idea of so many dragons fighting over something that wasn't even theirs made him feel sick to his stomach. He'd risked everything he had in the Kingdom of the Sea for practically nothing.

Just when the poor SeaWing thought it couldn't get any worse, he noticed three dark shapes in the forest, waiting for him. He spun around, but a new dragon loomed out of the river and blocked his escape. Black spiral patterns gleamed in the moonlight.

"Webs," said the other SeaWing in a horribly pleasant voice, "I thought we'd never find you."

Webs drew his talons through the riverbank mud. "Nautilus," he said. He hated the tremble of fear in his voice. "I have important news for the Talons."

"You don't say," said Nautilus. "We all heard that message. You never told us the NightWing could do magic." His voice became a growl as he said that last sentence.

"We didn't know," Webs said, truthfully. "He's been a mystery to us ever since he hatched. The prophecy never really said the dragonets had to be purebred, or that they couldn't have animus magic."

"Have you forgotten that the prophecy is fake?" asked a voice from the shadows. Webs recognized Crocodile, a MudWing new to the Talons of Peace. In his few meetings with her, she'd been sympathetic. Perhaps he had one ally here.

"Morrowseer's prophecy is fake," Webs said, "But Windracer's is very real. We've been going about this all wrong. Perhaps, if we let the dragonets pave the path for themselves..."

"Do you not see how much trouble they've caused?" Nautilus interjected. "Queen Scarlet has practically been standing on the tallest mountain shouting, 'I have the dragonets of destiny! They're all mine!' Those dragonets don't know what's best for them, which is exactly the reason we counted on you to keep them hidden and safe!"

"Maybe not," Crocodile said. "Something happened in the SkyWing palace yesterday, remember? We don't have any clear reports yet, but Queen Tourmaline has sent out message scrolls saying that Scarlet is dead. Killed by an IceWing prince by the name of Frost."

"Queen Glacier's son?" asked one of the figures, in a voice like icicles dripping. _Timberline,_ Webs thought. Of course the one living IceWing that was associated with the Talons would recognize the name of Glacier's dragonet.

"If the dragonets are loose in Pyrrhia, how do you suggest we find them?" Nautilus asked.

Webs just shook his head. He didn't know.

"Then I suppose we have no more use for you," Nautilus mused, "We'll find the dragonets ourselves, even if it takes us a hundred years to do it."

Webs felt a wave of fear wash over him. "Please don't hurt them. They may be the only ones who can stop this war!"

"I never said we were going to hurt the dragonets," Nautilus said. "Have a little faith in the prophecy, Webs." He then turned to look at Timberline. "Rip out his heart."

Webs barely had time to utter a shocked, "What?" before the IceWing flung him down onto his back. His icicle-sharp claws flexed, ready to tear into Webs's underbelly.

Suddenly, Crocodile cannoned into him, knocking Timberline into the undergrowth.

Webs didn't hesitate. He flipped upright and shot into the sky as fast as his wings would carry him. He heard shouts below as Crocodile struck out at the dragons around her, then the sound of wingbeats as she flew after him.

"Thank you," he called back to her, twisting his neck to see her heavy brown shape soaring behind him.

"Where will you hide?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I don't know. But I need to find the dragonets. I need to talk to Windracer, tell him I'm sorry."

"You should go home," Crocodile said, tilting her wings to swoop under him. "From what I hear, Queen Coral is in a merciful mood these days."

The thrill that ran through Webs from horns to tail nearly took his breath away. But as quickly as it came, it disappeared. "She'll never forgive me, not after everything I did. It's not just that I deserted her during a battle. She must know I'm the one who stole her egg for the prophecy."

"You might be surprised," said Crocodile. "Isn't she supposed to be one of the greatest queens in history? At least that's what all the SeaWing scrolls say. Perhaps she'll forgive you. Why not take the chance, if it means you can go home again?" When Webs didn't answer, she added, "It's up to you. I'm just telling you what I've heard. Good luck, either way."

"Good luck to you, too," Webs called. She vanished into the trees, and he found himself wondering where she would go now.

He missed the sea with every scale on his body. He missed the palaces, the currents, the whale songs, the feasts, the gardens...the other SeaWings.

 _If the Talons of Peace are done with me...if I promise her I'll be brave this time..._

 _Maybe I **can** go home again._

* * *

 **And so we find ourselves transitioning from the first book to the second. As far as I know, all the SeaWings in the Kingdom of the Sea will remain as they are, with Lagoon being a sort of replacement for Tsunami. Not intentionally, though, because I doubt any dragonet can really replace Tsunami.**

 **Like I said before, no Chameleon the RainWing. If there was, the IceWing Talon of Peace would still be called Cirrus.**

 **Anyway, who's excited about going to the ocean? Besides Lagoon, that is.**

 **Auburn - Valka  
Windracer - Hiccup  
Arid - Astrid  
** **Lagoon - Heather  
Bog - Fishlegs  
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut  
Killer - Stoick  
Inferno - Snotlout  
Scorch - Spitelout  
Frost - Dagur**


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

 **New adventures are on the way!**

* * *

Given that the edge of the ocean that led to the Kingdom of the Sea was not too far from the Mud Kingdom, Windracer and his friends had gotten there in little to no time at all. They were all standing on a beach, Lagoon's eyes transfixed on the horizon where the ocean met the sky.

Windracer subconsciously tucked himself under his mother's wing, his eyes scanning the skies above them. "Shouldn't we stay under the trees? What if a NightWing spots us? I mean -" He stopped and took a deep breath. "We must stay under the trees. All right. Yes. Everyone back into the trees right now."

The others ignored him, although Auburn and Arid gave him pitying glances.

The SkyWing-NightWing hybrid looked back into the forest he'd suggested they hide in. How long had it been since Auburn had retrieved them from their guardians? It was hard to remember exactly how long they'd been in the kingdom of the SkyWings.

But there was one thing Windracer would always remember clearly: the sight of the IceWing princess Sleet dying after she had saved his life.

He poked a hole in the sand with his claw. _Sleet died for me. Queen Scarlet wanted me dead, and Sleet saved me. I should have done something, cast a spell to heal her, anything to save her. But I was too afraid, too...useless._

The same devastating thoughts kept circling in his head like lame-winged dragons. Prince Frost had only spared his life because of his affiliation with Sleet. So, in a way, the IceWing princess had saved his life twice.

"You know what I love?" Bog said mournfully. "Fish. Lots of fish. Big fish I can eat, not these little wriggle-scraps."

The MudWing sat down on the sand beside Lagoon. His stomach growled loud enough for all of them to hear.

Storm rolled her eyes. "It's only been a day since Oco and I caught those enormous pigs for all of us."

"Weren't enormous," Bog said. He sighed, his wings drooping. "They were the smallest pigs in the whole world."

"You should have eaten our carrots." Arid padded forward and peered out at the ocean. The sun was just rising in a peach-pale sky, casting broken paths of light across the water. Two of the moons, barely slivers like thin claws, were vanishing behind the mountains.

"I'm serious, everybody," Windracer said. "It's not safe out on the beach, not with Morrowseer and all the other NightWings in on the plot looking for us." Auburn shook the sand off her talons before gripping her son's assuringly.

"But we've already wasted a day flying from the stupid delta!" whined Mango.

"You're always so worried about who's gonna find us," Marmoset added. "Pulling a good prank might get you back on your claws."

Windracer was used to hearing the RainWing twins complain. Yes, the NightWings were after them. Yes, they were probably mad about the dragonets' escape from under the mountain. And they were pretty definitely mad about the part where Windracer revealed that the prophecy was fake and that he was the only dragon with NightWing powers.

But Lagoon and the twins didn't want to keep running. They wanted to find their families, like Windracer, Arid and Bog had. But most of all, they wanted Windracer to stop worrying so much.

"Why _are_ you so worried?" Lagoon asked him. "If they do capture you, won't you be able to use your NightWing and animus powers to escape?"

Windracer fluttered his wings indignantly. "I'm not worried for _me_ ," he said. "I'm trying to keep all of us safe." He glanced at Arid and ducked his head.

"We've been keeping you safe just fine!" Storm protested.

"Hey," Ocotillo said, nudging Storm's wing with his own. "It's all right for Windracer to worry. We can't say for sure where Morrowseer and the NightWings are. But," he added quickly to the dragonets, "I know you want to find the SeaWings as fast as possible. So let's find them instead of fighting about it, and then we can get to safety sooner."

Windracer gave the older SandWing a grateful look.

Arid settled into the sand of the beach. "So now what? Should we shout 'Hey, SeaWings, we've got your missing princess!' and wait for dragons to bound joyfully out of the ocean?"

"With a feast!" Bog cried, startling a seagull into the air. "There was a feast at the end of the story! When the missing SeaWing princess got home, her parents were so happy they made a feast. I remember the feast. They ate a whole whale. That was a good feast. I bet _I_ could eat a whale. Do you think we'll get a feast?"

" _The Missing Princess_ was just a story in a scroll," Windracer reminded them. "We have no idea what we'll actually find in the Kingdom of the Sea."

"True," Lagoon muttered to herself as she stared out at the welcoming waters of the sea. "I could just dive in and look for the SeaWing palace," she suggested.

"What about us?" Bog's big brown wings flapped. "Lagoon, we can't go with you to the SeaWing palace. We can't breathe down there! How can we stick together if you're underwater?" He clawed at the water, leaving deep gouges in the wet sand. "What are we going to do?"

"The SeaWings have an above-water palace, too," Windracer said in his "I know something that can help you" voice. "So they can receive guests, like their SandWing ex-ally Blister. It's on an island somewhere in the Bay of a Thousand Scales."

Arid looked at her boyfriend over her shoulder. "So, we go there, right?"

"Not easily," Windracer said. "Both SeaWing palaces — underwater and on land — are well hidden. That's how they've lasted so long in this war, even though they don't have fire like some of the other tribes. Nobody can find them to attack their homes."

"Sounds like the NightWings," Mango sniped.

"It's nothing like the NightWings!" Lagoon cried defensively. "SeaWings aren't trying to act all mysterious and pretentious. They're just being sensible about guarding their home." She glanced at Windracer apologetically. "No offense."

Windracer held up a talon. "No, I'm with you on that." He then pointed out towards the ocean. "There are over a thousand islands to search, but it's still probably -" Windracer stopped midsentence and glanced at the forest again. "Does anyone else hear that?"

"Hear what?" Arid asked, her head tilted slightly in confusion.

Windracer padded away from Auburn, his eyes focused on the spaces between the trees of the forest. From where they were, the woods led to the kingdom of the RainWings, and the hybrid could hear someone saying something to themselves in their mind over and over.

 _Stay secret, stay hidden, stay safe._

Had they been speaking out loud, Windracer would have had an easier time figuring out what dragon was saying that. Were they a dragonet? An adult? Male? Female? And where were they? Where could he find them?

 _Who are you?_

No sooner after he had that thought, the mantra in Windracer's head stopped suddenly. The hybrid's eyes went wide at this occurrence. Could the other dragon hear his thoughts like he could hear theirs? Deciding to roll the dice, Windracer thought again, _Who are you?_

The response he got was one simple, little word that left him with more questions than answers.

 _Moon._

Dumbfounded, Windracer sat down in the sand. What could that mean? Were they from one of the moons? Windracer didn't think so. But perhaps they did have something associated with a moon. Another NightWing with powers? That would explain why he was able to communicate with them through thoughts. Or maybe "Moon" was the dragon's name.

Yes, it had to be their name.

But what about the rest? Windracer didn't know a whole lot about NightWings, but he did know that most of their names were compound words. There had to be more to this dragon's name than just "Moon." But what could it be?

He decided there was only one way to find out. _Moon? Is that your name? Mine_ _is Windracer._

First, silence. Then...

 _It's_ _Moonwatcher. But I like Moon better._

Now Windracer understood. "Moon" was a nickname. He could work with that. _You can call me "Wind," if you want to. Where are you? Can you come out?_ He paused before adding, _Are you a NightWing?_ It might have been a stupid thing to ask, since NightWings were the only dragons he knew that had mind-reading powers, but he had to know for sure.

Wherever Moon was, he or she hesitated. _Yes._ Then they added, _Wind, are you the one who sent the message? I remember a dragon named Windracer saying he had NightWing powers. Is that you?_

Windracer didn't even hesitate to answer their question. _Yes. That's me. Please, come out. I won't hurt you. I just want to help you._

 _No,_ was Moon's response. _I can't come out. Mother told me to stay hidden. Please, don't tell anyone. I'm not supposed to be here._

Ever the considerate one, Windracer tried to reassure the other NightWing. _My friends and I will protect you. Now, please, come on out. I can't help you if I can't see you._

 _These powers are a curse,_ Moon "said," _You said you were an animus, right?_ _Can you take my curse away?_

Windracer hesitated. He'd never thought of it before, but he certainly didn't like the idea of using his animus powers to remove a dragon's abilities. _No, I can't. But I can help you learn to live with your powers. I've only just learned how to myself, but I know I can help you._

Moon's reply was not what he'd hoped. _No one can help me. No one can know I exist. I need to stay secret. Stay hidden. Stay safe._

They went right back to repeating that mantra over and over again. Moon's thoughts gradually trailed off until Windracer could no longer hear them. Hoping that Moon could still hear him, wherever they might be, Windracer thought to the other NightWing as hard as he could, _Don't worry. You're not alone. I'll help you, somehow._

"Wait!"

Startled at the sudden shout, Windracer finally took his eyes of off the forest and found Lagoon landing on the beach, a male SeaWing following her in the air. Their scales were wet, which meant they'd been underwater. The other SeaWing's snout had been slashed, and Windracer had to guess that was Lagoon's doing. Forgetting all about Moon, the hybrid rushed forward to his friend. "What happened?"

Lagoon looked up at Windracer, wild-eyed. "That SeaWing attacked me!"

"I certainly did not!" the male protested. He landed in the sand not far from them, but a good deal away from the other dragons. Perhaps he'd yet to notice them. "I thought you...that's the normal..." He seemed to be getting more and more flustered. " _You_ said you liked me!" he finally blurted out.

Lagoon gave him a look that was a mix of anger and bewilderment. "You are a delusional squid-brain."

"Okay, everyone calm down," Windracer said, placing himself between the two SeaWings in case one of them tried to do something drastic. He pointed to the male. "Tell me exactly what happened."

The SeaWing sighed. "I asked her 'What are you doing all the way out here?' and then she said..." He paused, rubbing his front talons against his head. "She said, 'Hey, sparkling teeth, I totally love three of your claws but not the others, and I wish your nose was a herring so I could eat it, and also your wings sound like sharks snoring.'"

A snicker escaped Windracer's throat, prompting him to cover his snout with this talons. Ignoring the roaring laughter of the RainWing twins, Windracer composed himself before stating, "I'm guessing the two of you were underwater when this happened." When the male SeaWing nodded, he then asked, "How are you able to talk down there?"

"I'm not answering any more questions until you tell me who you are," the SeaWing said, his eyes gazing over the other dragons. Mango and Marmoset's laughter must have made him finally realize they were all there.

"That's fair," Windracer decided. He gestured to himself and Lagoon. "I'm Windracer, and this is my friend, Lagoon."

The SeaWing's eyes shifted back to the two of them, wide with disbelief. " _The_ Windracer? The dragon who sent that message?"

Windracer wasn't expecting that kind of reaction, but he gave a curt nod in confirmation.

At that point, the SeaWing's demeanor changed rather quickly. "I'm so sorry, I hope I didn't scare anyone too much. Any friend of Windracer is a friend of mine, I swore that to myself as soon as I heard that message."

"Now will you tell us how you were talking underwater?" Lagoon asked, hoping to change the conversation.

"It's called Aquatic," said the SeaWing. "An underwater language we use that consists of talon gestures and glowing stripes. I'm surprised you don't know it. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were another dragon disguised as a SeaWing. Then again, it would be pretty hard to fake those." He nodded at the webs between her talons.

Windracer felt something brush against his wing and found that Arid had joined them. "We were all raised under a mountain," she said. "The SeaWing who raised us never bothered to teach Lagoon how to speak your language. Just another way the Talons of Peace ruined our lives."

"Talons of Peace," the SeaWing repeated to himself. "So, then, that must mean you're the dragonets of destiny."

"That's us," Windracer said with a smile. Though it quickly faded when he spotted the RainWing twins trying to turn themselves blue like SeaWings, but only managing to get just about every color but that. "More or less." He turned back to the SeaWing. "Would you like us to introduce ourselves? It would be easier for you to make friends if you knew all our names."

"I already know yours," the SeaWing said, pointing at Windracer and Lagoon. "I'm guessing that's Auburn." He pointed to the SkyWing behind Windracer, who gave him a warm smile. "Where's Killer? He's your father, right?"

"He's not with us," Windracer said, a hint of sadness in his voice. He gestured to his girlfriend. "This is Arid." He then pointed to the two older dragons behind them. "The IceWing and SandWing are her parents, Storm and Ocotillo." Then he gestured to the MudWing. "That's Bog." He sighed as he pointed to the twins. "And the RainWings are Marmoset and Mango."

The SeaWing smiled at each of them before he placed his talons on his chest. "And my name," he said, "Is Riptide."

* * *

 **I know some of you guys were practically begging me to have Windracer meet Moon, but I want to time it right, so I thought I'd have their first encounter be a telepathic conversation, since they can both read minds. I don't think it's ever mentioned if mind-reading NightWings can hear the thoughts of distant dragons, but we do know that those that hatch under three full moons have their powers strengthened.**

 **Also, that Aquatic exchange was too funny to leave out. The only downside is that because this story focuses on Windracer, we don't actually see it happen.**

 **Auburn - Valka  
Windracer - Hiccup  
Arid - Astrid  
** **Lagoon - Heather  
Bog - Fishlegs  
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut  
Killer - Stoick  
Inferno - Snotlout  
Scorch - Spitelout  
Frost - Dagur**


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

 **A missing princess is coming home.**

* * *

Riptide paced across the beach, lashing his tail in a long swooshing trail through the sand. The morning light allowed Windracer and his friends to get a good look at him for the first time. He had sky blue scales, dark blue horns, a pale underbelly, and dark blue eyes that were nearly black in appearance. He also had several scars - an old bite mark on his tail, claw scars across his underbelly, and slash marks across his snout from Lagoon. If Windracer had to guess, Riptide was probably a couple years older than he was.

"All right," Riptide said, "So the Talons of Peace are real."

"Unfortunately," Arid muttered. She relaxed when Windracer draped his wing over her comfortingly.

Riptide stopped pacing and looked at Lagoon hopefully. "Do you know Webs? I heard he was with the Talons, and I really want to meet him."

"He left when Queen Scarlet and her guards captured us," Bog explained. "We haven't seen him since." The MudWing's voice wavered with a hint of sadness.

Windracer wasn't surprised at that. Webs was pretty much the nicest out of the three guardians. But the hybrid didn't want to be caught thinking any ill thoughts about "Auntie Kestrel," as the twins sometimes teased him about. "Is Webs a friend of yours?" he asked.

Riptide shifted nervously. "Not exactly."

"An important general?" Lagoon guessed.

Riptide shook his head. "Not even close."

"Then why do you want to meet him?" Arid asked, her tone carrying an almost unnoticeable bit of annoyance.

Riptide cast his eyes down at his talons, half-buried in the sand.

"Webs is my father."

Windracer's eyes widened in surprise. Webs never mentioned that he'd had dragonets. Then again, that probably wasn't something a member of the Talons of Peace would go bragging about, with the war going on and everything.

"I joined the Talons of Peace because I thought they could help me find him," Riptide explained, looking every which way to avoid the eyes of the other dragons. "But they wouldn't tell me anything except that he was safe. I've been working with them for a few years now, passing them information about the SeaWings. Queen Coral sees my father as a traitor to the tribe because he stole one of her eggs. Being his son, you can probably imagine how well she treats me."

"That's ridiculous!" Lagoon blurted. "I mean, sure, Webs could have done better with us, but he had a good reason, didn't he?"

Riptide shrugged. "Maybe at the time, but the prophecy is fake, isn't it? At least, that's what Windracer said in his message."

"It's true," Windracer admitted, albeit reluctantly. "I know I may have hurt a lot of dragons out there who believed in that prophecy, but I had to tell everyone the truth. What Morrowseer is doing is wrong, and if no one else is going to do anything about it, then I will."

"Wow," Riptide said. "I don't say this to a lot of dragons, but I'm impressed."

"He's right," Ocotillo said with a smile. "Your spirit is very admirable, Windracer."

Arid said something very similar to that in her head, which made Windracer shift his talons sheepishly.

"Before I forget," said Lagoon, "Can you lead us to the SeaWing Palace? We need to speak with Queen Coral, I mean, my mother. It's rather urgent."

Riptide gave her a reassuring smile. "Of course. I should warn you, though, the guards aren't very trusting when it comes to outsiders. And I mean that in the best possible way."

"As long as we can still speak with the queen," Windracer said. "We need all the tribes to work together if we want to end this fight. Queen Tourmaline and Queen Moorhen are already on our side..."

"Tourmaline?" Riptide repeated in confusion.

"Scarlet's daughter," Arid explained. "She took over the SkyWings after her mother was killed."

Riptide jumped back in surprise. "Scarlet's dead?! What happened?"

Everyone turned to look at Windracer, who shifted in the sand and scratched at the scales on his neck nervously. "It's...kind of a long story."

"Well, you'll have plenty of time to tell it on our way to the palace," said Riptide. "It's about a four day flight from here, as long as you know where you're going, of course. Just follow me."

The sky-blue SeaWing sprang into the sky, with the other dragons close behind.

Windracer told his tale to Riptide as they flew, day in and day out. The Bay of a Thousand Scales turned out to be further away than any of the dragonets had anticipated. Windracer had been studying the map of Pyrrhia since he was little, but it was hard to fit that picture over the enormous world below him.

They managed to make it to a small rocky island shortly after night fell, but Windracer knew they were still a long way from the bay. For a few days, they stopped whenever they saw an island, ate a seagull or fish if they could catch any, and then flew on. Lagoon had tried diving into the ocean several times and was disappointed to discover she couldn't swim as fast as she flew.

It was around four days later when the group got the first clue indicating that they were close to their destination.

A formation of blue and green dragons - fifteen or more - flew toward them, with huge wings and bared teeth. Windracer could hear them hissing.

"Here comes the welcoming committee," Riptide grumbled. "The advance guard. They make sure no one even gets close to the Summer Palace."

A few moments later, they were surrounded. The flapping wingbeats filled their ears and pushed the air currents around.

"Riptide," growled the lead dragon. His scales were a green so dull it was almost gray, like stone where moss had been scraped away. He had tiny bone-pale eyes that never seemed to blink under a knobbly protruding forehead, and his horns twisted strangely toward each other. Unlike Riptide, he bore no battle scars. Which either meant he stayed away from fighting, or he was a very skilled fighter.

"What are you dragging home now?" he snarled.

Riptide looked him straight in the eyes. "I've found the missing princess." He gestured to Lagoon, or more specifically, her wings. Curious, Lagoon looked down at herself. Under her wings, when she lit them up, the luminescent stripes formed spirals around the outer edges. Starbursts shaped like webbed dragon footprints branched away from the lines in the middle.

Windracer examined the pattern with wide eyes. He'd never noticed that before. Most of the other SeaWings, he examined, had smaller starbursts and no spirals. Only the lead dragon's patterns matched Lagoon's. Windracer pointed at the dragon. "Who is he?"

Riptide winced. "This is Shark," he said. "Commander of palace defense and brother to the queen."

Now Windracer understood why Shark and Lagoon's patterns matched. They were both of royal blood.

Shark eyed the dragons suspiciously. His eyes flashed dangerously at the sight of Bog, Auburn, Arid, Storm and Ocotillo. "What are they doing here?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"We're here to speak to Queen Coral," Windracer said. He ignored the chills he felt from Shark's gaze. "I'm Windracer. The animus hybrid with NightWing powers." When Shark didn't respond, he nervously asked, "You have heard of me, right?"

* * *

Let it be known that being locked in a cell within the SeaWing prison was **_NOT_** the answer Windracer had been hoping for.

It wasn't like the prison in the Sky Kingdom. Instead of bars, the cages had channels of water each as wide as two dragons encircling each prisoner, trapping them on islands of stone - some large enough for multiple dragons, some with barely enough room for one. More water poured from grooves in the ceiling down to the channels, creating cascading walls around the island.

And all the water walls and all the moats glowed the same bright blue and gave off the same fizzling, crackling sound. Electric eels slithered and swam in all the moats, providing all the water with a shocking surprise for any dragon who would dare try to escape.

The SkyWing-NightWing hybrid sat sulking in the dead center of his cell, the only sound accompanying him being the water running down from the ceiling. "Well, that went well," he grumbled sarcastically.

"I'll say," Arid said from a nearby cell. "But hey, at least they didn't kill us."

"Please don't jinx it," Bog pleaded from his cell. "I'm allergic to being executed."

Somewhere far off, the RainWing twins scoffed. "Where'd you hear that from?"

"I guess I should have known coming here was a bad idea," Windracer said. "I'm sorry everyone."

"Don't be," came Auburn's comforting, motherly voice. "Your intentions were pure, son. Some dragons just have a harder time seeing that."

"I know I did," Storm chimed in from her cell.

"To be fair, I wasn't entirely sure they'd let us in myself," Ocotillo admitted.

The only voices Windracer didn't hear were Lagoon and Riptide's. Of course, the two SeaWings were the only ones spared from being thrown in the dungeons. It was anyone's guess where they were now.

But even with the other dragons comforting him, the only thing a depressed Windracer could even think of doing at that moment in time was sit on his tiny little stone island and wait for something to happen.

* * *

 **Believe me, something will be happening very soon.**

 **Auburn - Valka  
Windracer - Hiccup  
Arid - Astrid  
** **Lagoon - Heather  
Bog - Fishlegs  
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut  
Killer - Stoick  
Inferno - Snotlout  
Scorch - Spitelout  
Frost - Dagur**


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

 **Don't think for a moment I'd just leave them in that prison for too long.**

* * *

Windracer wasn't sure how long he'd been in the SeaWing prison for. An hour? A day? A week?

It seemed like an eternity.

Everyone else had gone to sleep, seeing as how there wasn't much else to do. But Windracer couldn't sleep. He'd only doze off for a few precious minutes before snapping awake, for what reason he couldn't say for absolute certainty.

Wherever Lagoon was, he hoped she was aware of what had happened to them.

Until then, he had to occupy himself somehow.

 _A song._ The only song he knew was the one Arid sometimes sang to annoy the guardians - about the dragonets coming to save the day. Oh, how she always sang so beautifully...

 _Stay focused!_ Windracer wasn't big on singing. Not that he was bad at it, he'd just never tried it before. At least, he hoped he wasn't a bad singer. If luck was against him, his singing would probably be worse than Marmoset and Mango's put together.

So, he decided to whistle it instead.

 _Oh, the dragonets are coming...they're coming to save the day...they're coming to fight...for they know what's right...the dragonets, hurray._

He felt like he'd barely started when he realized the song was already over. Why did it have to be so short?

" _Oh, the dragonets are coming..._ "

Windracer leapt to his feet and peeked through the pillars of water surronding him. Was he hearing things?

" _They're coming to save the day..._ "

No, this was definitely real. There was someone singing. And more voices joined in, one by one, as the song continued.

" _They're coming to fight...for they know what's right...the dragonets, hurray!_ "

Now there were at least six voices, gradually getting louder and more fast-paced as they neared the end of the song. Windracer stuck his head out between the water walls, being careful not to get too close, and found several other prisoners, mostly SandWings and MudWings, looking content despite their poor surroundings.

The prisoners were singing.

Windracer swallowed. Now was probably as good a time as ever to find out if he could really sing. He opened his mouth and uttered out the first lyric, then the second one louder.

Was that his voice he heard echoing off the walls of the prison?

It sounded so... _extraordinary_.

He could sing.

He could really, honest-to-goodness **_sing_.**

Realizing he had faded out upon this discovery, Windracer quickly jumped back in, singing the song wholeheartedly. His voice woke up his friends, who joined in after they realized what was going on.

He picked up the pace a little the fourth time around. It seemed like every prisoner was singing now. He was pretty sure he could even hear the twins' croaky voices and Arid's strong and beautiful pipes.

This song meant something, even to the dragons hardened on the battlefield. Even if Morrowseer's prophecy turned out to not be real, they still believed in the dragonets.

They were on their sixth time through the song, all of them singing wholeheartedly, when a huge blue SeaWing decorated with vines of pearls on her horns and neck and wings burst in quite suddenly.

"What is going on in here?!"

The singing broke off at once. Windracer retreated back to his position in the middle of his stone island, as far away from the electrified water as he could manage.

The blue SeaWing padded down the hall, looking every prisoner in the eyes. "I could have heard that from across the ocean! Explain yourselves!"

Not wanting anyone to be falsely accused, Windracer called out, "It was me. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause any trouble. I just started whistling, and..."

He trailed off as the SeaWing approached his cell and peered at him through the running water. "Who are you?" she asked.

"Windracer," the hybrid answered automatically. "Son of Auburn of the SkyWings and Killer of the NightWings." He took a good look at the pearls that were decorating the dragon. He already had a good idea who the SeaWing was, and a quick look into her mind confirmed his suspicions. "You're Queen Coral."

"Obviously," said the queen, tossing her head a bit to show off her pearls. "Lagoon informed me that some dragons she said were her friends were being held here." For some reason, her voice carried some form of disgust or bitterness as she said her daughter's name. "I assume you're one of them?"

Windracer gave a slight bow. "We've known each other since we hatched. We were all raised under a mountain by three guardians. I'm sorry for any trouble we've caused, Your Majesty."

The sudden appearance of Shark made Windracer jumped back in fear. He'd figured out by now that he needed to be wary of Queen Coral's brother.

"How do we know what he says is true?" hissed the SeaWing commander.

"No disrespect," said Windracer, "But I'm pretty sure I'm the only SkyWing-NightWing hybrid that has telepathy, precognition, and animus powers."

Shark wasn't convinced. "Prove it."

 _Prove it?_ Windracer repeated in his thoughts. _Exactly how does he expect me to do **that**? _Then he remembered the enchantment he put on his wings back when he was imprisoned in the Sky Kingdom. Maybe if Queen Coral saw it, she'd know he was magic.

It was worth a shot.

 _These dragons need to see the wings of fire. Let me show it to them. Let me give them hope._

The flames were small as they flickered around his wings, but thankfully they were enough to convince Coral and Shark that he was telling them the truth.

"Let him out," the queen commanded her brother. Shark hesitated, but obeyed the order. He padded over to a chain on the cave wall and pulled it up. What sounded like an enormous metallic groan echoed overhead, and then suddenly, the cascading water around Windracer shut off.

The fire on Windracer's wings dispersed as he leaped out of his cell. He hadn't gotten far when he found himself standing face-to-face with Queen Coral. "Can you please free the rest of my friends? I'm sure Lagoon would like that very much. In the meantime, I wish to speak with you about the war. You heard my message, right?"

"Indeed," replied Queen Coral. "I suppose if my daughter wants her friends out of prison, she can have her friends out of prison. But you'll all stay under the eyes of me and the Council. Is that clear?"

Assuming he didn't have much choice in the matter, Windracer nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you."

* * *

Getting a tour of the Summer Palace was much better than being stuck in a electric eel-infested prison cell. Windracer didn't need to ask his friends to know that was true.

"Guys!"

Lagoon's shout came before her hugs. She threw her wings around them, one by one, including Auburn, Ocotillo, and Storm. "You're okay!"

"Well, we were the last time we checked," Windracer muttered. His eye caught the gleam of a white-pink set of scales. A smaller SeaWing, about a year old, was attached to Queen Coral on a thin, webbed harness. Windracer couldn't remember if the queen had been wearing it when she came to inspect them in the prison. From the looks of it, Coral didn't have any intention of letting the dragonet out of her sight.

Lagoon followed Windracer's gaze to the dragonet before answering the question that had yet to leave his mouth. "Oh, that's my little sister, Anemone. Cute, right?"

"I thought the scrolls said none of Queen Coral's female dragonets survived," Arid mused.

Windracer shrugged. " _The Royal Lineage of the SeaWings, from the Scorching to the Present_ must have been written before she hatched."

Anemone was a pale, pale blue, almost white like an IceWing, with hints of pink along her wings and ears and horns. She looked a little like a dolphin. Anemone's eyes were large and blue, and tiny strands of pearls were woven around her neck and tail as if to match her mother's.

"I have brothers, too," Lagoon said cheerfully. "Mother said that by the end of the week, I'll have THIRTY-TWO of them. Can you believe it? I almost can't."

"How can you have so many brothers, and only one sister?" Bog asked.

"We may have to find out," Lagoon said, her voice more quiet and mysterious. "Mother mentioned why all the female eggs, besides mine and Anemone's, haven't survived, but she made me swear not to tell anyone who's not a SeaWing. Don't worry, I'll tell you guys, though. I told her you could all help."

Windracer wasn't sure how to take that. "Okay, what is it?"

What Lagoon said next shocked them all to the core.

"Someone has been killing all of the female heirs. And I think I'm next."

* * *

 **Maybe the ending of this chapter is too dark for whatever sort of holiday the dragons in the Wings of Fire series celebrate, but it sets the oncoming plot very nicely, I believe.**

 **Merry or Happy whatever they celebrate in Pyrrhia and Pantala!**

 **Auburn - Valka  
Windracer - Hiccup  
Arid - Astrid  
** **Lagoon - Heather  
Bog - Fishlegs  
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut  
Killer - Stoick  
Inferno - Snotlout  
Scorch - Spitelout  
Frost - Dagur**


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

 **Now, let's keep things moving along.**

* * *

Windracer didn't have much time to assure Lagoon that she would be safe with them before Queen Coral brough him and his friends before the SeaWing Council. Windracer scanned each of twelve dragon-sized stone pools set in a circle around them. Each one was labeled woth emeralds the size of roe, which he guessed must cost nearly a fortune.

It was easy to find Coral, who was sitting in the pool labeled Queen. She was right next to the Defense and Communications pools, which housed Shark and a female dragon Windracer guessed was his daughter. A SeaWing named Jellyfish sat in the Aquaculture pool. The pool labeled War was occupied by a disfigured, scar-covered dragon Windracer initially thought was male, but turned out to be a girl named Piranha. The Treasury pool housed a respectful SeaWing appropriately named Pearl. The Justice, Medicine, Secrets and Spies, and Hunting pools housed SeaWings Windracer never heard the names of, mostly due to the demanding attention of the SeaWing in the Magic and Publishing pool.

Whirlpool, Windracer heard his name was, had dark green scales and blobby, pale green, frog-like eyes, as well as light green scales decorating his back in a wave pattern. His main accessory was an immense golden hoop earring piercing one of his ears, but he also had multiple golden rings on his ink-stained claws. A cold, unsettling smile revealed his tiny baby teeth. To sum it all up, he was a very oily dragon. Definitely not someone Windracer would want to run into in a dark area.

Averting his eyes from Whirlpool, Windracer finally found Lagoon with her sister, Anemone, in a pool labeled Dragonet Care. The moment her eyes landed on Windracer, Lagoon rasied her talons and tapped at her temples. Taking the hint, Windracer plunged into the sea of secrets that was Lagoon's mind.

 _Mother has guards taking shifts to protect the Royal Hatchery at all times. The pool was empty, so she said we could sit here for now._

The sound of Queen Coral's voice brought Windracer back to reality.

"These dragons entered our territory after being led by that creature. The hybrid Windracer comes bringing a negotiation for me, which I believe is for us to ally with the other tribes in order to end this war. I, personally, am quite fond of that message he sent us all, pure poetry, and wish to hear him out."

No one objected.

A nod from Coral prompted Windracer to speak. "It wasn't my intention to make you all lose hope because the prophecy isn't real. What Morrowseer is doing is wrong, and the tribes deserved to know the truth. The SandWing sisters and the NightWings might come for us, but if we all band together, we can find a better way to end this war. I'm not asking as a Dragonet of Destiny, but as a friend. Help us find a better way."

Lagoon quietly applauded the short, but heartfelt, speech, her eyes shifting to the other SeaWings nervously. The Council members all muttered amongst themselves for several minutes before Queen Coral made her final declaration.

"The dragonets and their parents are welcome to stay safely in my palace for as long as they need to."

Windracer let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He didn't really care where they'd be staying, just as long as it wasn't in the prisons.

* * *

Windracer had noticed that the only empty pool on the Council was the one labeled King. He found himself questioning the reason why, though there was little doubt it had something to do with battling in the war.

He was about to ask Coral when he spotted Lagoon talking with a large group of male SeaWing dragonets. Remembering her earlier words, Windracer realized that they were most likely Lagoon's brothers.

His attention shifted back to Coral when she made an unexpected announcement. "I'd like to dedicate my daughter Anemone's next demonstration to our honored guests." She gestured to the bewildered group with her wing as Anemone and Whirlpool padded into the center of the ballroom.

The exact type of demonstration became clear when the little princess made one of Queen Coral's pearl necklaces slither up the wall like a snake, without touching it.

"An animus," Windracer muttered to himself in amazement.

Queen Coral heard him. Smiling proudly, she explained, "It runs in the royal family. Anemone is the first to have animus magic since..." Her smile faded. "Since Prince Albatross went insane and massacred his family two thousand years ago."

Windracer stared at the queen wide-eyed. "Are you sure he really went insane? I mean, I've been using my magic recently to help my friends and other dragons, and I still feel like myself. Maybe Albatross used his power for his own gain, or someone or something made him mad?"

"I remember from the scrolls, Queen Lagoon had him serve her as her personal animus," said Coral. "Now that you mention it, perhaps her personal needs did contribute to his insanity. But I suppose we can't know for sure, can we?"

"I want to learn and understand everything I can about animus magic," Windracer explained. "I can't help but feel there's more to it than what the scrolls say."

Queen Coral's only response was a curt nod before her attention went back to Anemone.

With the SeaWing queen distracted, Windracer reached into his leather pouch and pulled out the mirror he'd enchanted. He said to it in a whisper, "Please show me what happened to Prince Albatross of the SeaWings."

The images that swirled into focus, revealing a bluish-gray SeaWing, very much confirmed Windracer's suspicions. He saw Albatross building the Summer Palace with nothing but his animus magic. Albatross being forced by his sister, Queen Lagoon, into creating whatever she wanted with his magic. The last image showed Albatross looking at his sister with hooded eyes before enchanting a knife to slit her throat. After that, it was all blood and destruction.

But what really sealed it in was what Windracer heard Queen Lagoon say before Albatross killed her.

"Do you think you're done? Do you think you'll ever be done atoning for what you did to Sapphire? It's not going to end, Albatross. You'll always be mine."

Combined with all the ways Albatross had been forced to use his power for someone else, it was enough to make even the most calm and collected of all dragons snap.

Windracer shut his eyes tightly as he slipped the mirror into his bag. What if that happened to him? He couldn't bear the thought of murdering his own mother, or even his beloved Arid, because he'd gone mad from using his animus magic for all the wrong reasons.

 _That isn't me,_ Windracer said to himself. _It can't be me. It will never be me._

On the bright side, he now knew why Queen Coral seemed unhappy whenever she said her eldest daughter's name. Lagoon was the name of Albatross's sister, who was the first dragon he'd killed in the massacre. Windracer wasn't sure if Webs knew of that fact when he named their friend, but the way he saw it, Queen Coral now had another reason to hate their guardian.

A set of webbed talons on his shoulder made Windracer jump. He looked up to find Queen Coral staring at him intently. "I almost forgot," she said, "We got a written message from the SkyWings a couple days ago. Some dragon named Tourmaline said you were at Scarlet's palace."

"We were," Windracer confirmed. "My mother was put on trial by Queen Scarlet, and I kinda made a deal with her. If I fought in the arena and won, Auburn would go free. But then my opponent, Prince Frost of the IceWings, turned on Scarlet after he learned she killed his sister, and he breathed his frostbreath down her throat." Every time he told this story to another dragon, Windracer would get chills down the length of his spine, like an IceWing was breathing down his back. The image of Frost killing Scarlet was one of those things that would haunt him for life.

"Did any of you see a SeaWing named Gill?" the queen cried, looking at each of the dragonets. "Green scales, big and powerful, with brave eyes? We've been planning a rescue mission, but he's not in the regular prison with the others. And we've got to get him back, you have no idea how important he is."

Windracer shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I didn't see a SeaWing like that."

"Neither did I," Lagoon added sadly.

"I would have remembered a dragon like that," Bog said.

Arid and the RainWing twins said nothing. Windracer knew for a fact they didn't have any contact with any SeaWings, other than Lagoon, while they were in the Sky Kingdom.

But Ocotillo and Storm told a different story. "I remember seeing Gill," said the SandWing. "He was placed in the arena, but refused to fight. He convinced each of his opponents to lie down and refuse to fight with him."

"Queen Scarlet was furious," Storm said, continuing the story. "She punished him for trying to start a prisoner revolution by taking away all of his drinking water for months. He went insane from dehydration. He was hardly even a dragon anymore."

"We didn't see who killed him," Ocotillo concluded. "We found it best to look away whenever they brought Gill out to the arena, with him being all mad and soulless. I'd never seen anyone so psychotic in all my life." He bowed his head apologetically. "I'm so sorry, Your Majesty."

Queen Coral showed no sign of ill will towards any of them. She dropped her head, he eyes shut tight. "Dead," she mumbled sadly. "My Gill is dead."

"Your Gill?" Arid repeated in confusion. But the look in her eyes said that she knew what Coral meant.

She was proven right when the SeaWing Queen lifted her head and replied in a hollow voice, "He was my husband."

Lagoon sat down hard, her eyes sparkling with tears. "Gill was...my father?" Breathing shakily, she shifted her eyes to her talons. "And I never got to meet him..."

"You would have loved him," Queen Coral said, draping her wing over her weeping daughter. "He was so smart, strong, persuasive, gentle, and of a noble family. And he always had a way with words. He would tell me so often how much he adored my writing. Oh, if I knew who killed him, I'd have them brought here so I could snap their head right off their neck!"

Windracer's claws itched to grab the mirror so they could see what happened to Gill, but he fought against it. "Technically, it might have been Scarlet who killed him." His voice was wavering with anxiety, but he didn't want to show weakness before Queen Coral. "She was the one who took away his water."

"That's not good enough," said Coral. "His blood isn't anywhere on her talons. There must be someone who can tell me whose it's on."

No longer able to fight the impulse, Windracer reached into his bag and pulled out the mirror. "I think this can." Pausing to make sure he had Coral's attention, Windracer held out the mirror so they could all see into the reflective glass. "Please show us King Gill's final fight in Queen Scarlet's arena."

The image that swirled into focus nearly made him drop the mirror in shock. Gill looked nothing like Queen Coral had described him. His eyes were bloodshot and hooded, his tongue swollen and purple, and his snout was flecked with blood as if he had tried to drink from his own veins. Storm was right, he'd gone completely insane.

Queen Coral didn't have time to admire the enchantment Windracer had placed on the mirror, her eyes were locked on the image of her dehydrated husband. He was fighting an IceWing, a young and battle-experienced one at that. The battle went by so fast, they had trouble keeping track of who was on top of who until the IceWing suddenly pinned Gill into the sand. Queen Coral didn't have time to look away before the IceWing grabbed Gill's horns in his talons and snapped the poor king's neck with one mighty twist.

When the image faded, Queen Coral tore away from the group, sobbing loudly. Lagoon hesitated before following her, casting a glance back over her shoulder that Windracer had trouble reading.

Windracer didn't say anything, but he knew he recognized the IceWing that killed King Gill. He'd been snout-to-snout with that very dragon in the arena, his cold eyes piercing into his soul like a knife.

Prince Frost.

* * *

 **It may seem like a filler chapter, but there are moments of significance.**

 **Happy birthday to me!**

 **Auburn - Valka  
Windracer - Hiccup  
Arid - Astrid  
** **Lagoon - Heather  
Bog - Fishlegs  
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut  
Killer - Stoick  
Inferno - Snotlout  
Scorch - Spitelout  
Frost - Dagur**


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

 **New allies are made, and new foes are on the way.**

* * *

So many thoughts were going through Windracer's head.

 _Frost killed Gill._

 _But he spared my life._

 _Gill was the SeaWing king._

 _But maybe Frost didn't know that._

 _Tell them._

 _Don't tell them._

The poor hybrid didn't know what to do. He looked up at his friends. None of them seemed to recognize the IceWing that had killed King Gill. Except for Storm. The look in her eyes told Windracer that she knew exactly who it was.

Windracer shakingly put the mirror in his bag and raised a talon towards Arid's mother. "Can I...speak with you, for a minute?"

Storm looked a little surprised, but she nodded. "Yes, of course."

Windracer looked amongst his friends, expecting them to leave. But they stayed put. Whatever he had to say, they wanted to hear it, too.

That is, until he added quite firmly, "Alone?"

The other dragons obliged, muttering amongst themselves as they tried to guess what it was Windracer had wanted to ask Storm.

"Do you know the IceWing we saw in the mirror?"

Storm nodded. "Queen Glacier's son, Prince Frost. We've fought together on the battlefield a few times. He always dreamed of becoming an expert warrior. I doubt Coral will be very happy about this."

"I don't think I'll be able to tell her," Windracer said, shaking his head. "Frost spared my life. I feel like I owe him."

"I know," Storm said. "I saw. Never thought he had it in him to let a NightWing live."

Windracer looked away. "He only let me go because I tried to help his sister. There was nothing else that would have kept him from killing me." He willed himself to look at Arid's mother. "You can go ahead and tell Queen Coral about Prince Frost. The whole truth. She deserves to know the whole story of what happened to King Gill."

Storm only nodded before padding over to the sobbing SeaWing queen. The IceWing whispered something into Coral's ear, and just like that, she was upright at attention.

Windracer turned away. He didn't want to see or hear what was being said. A small tug on his wing made him look down. Anemone was there, and she looked a little frightened.

"Why is mother so upset?"

The hybrid wasn't sure how to answer. All he could think to say was, "Why are you asking me?"

"I saw you show her a mirror," said Anemone. "And then she started crying. Is the mirror magic? Are you an animus? What did you show her?"

Windracer could only answer one question at a time. "Yes, I am an animus. I enchanted this mirror to show anyone a requested event from Pyrrhia's past. I used it to show Queen Coral what happened to you father, King Gill."

Now Anemone was curious. "What happened to him?"

Oh, how in the world was Windracer going to answer that? _This day just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?_

"He was killed," he said. "By a dragon who was trying to survive as much as he was. They were forced to fight each other, and only one of them could get out alive." He left out the part where Gill had been dehydrated to the point of insanity. He didn't want little Anemone to remember her father as being a maniac.

Blinking back tears, Anemone asked again, "You're an animus?"

"I'm an animus," Windracer confirmed.

The little princess bounced right out of her misery. "You must feel special. I'm the only animus in my family, so I'm really special."

Somewhere nearby, Windracer caught a glimpse of a few of Lagoon's brothers. One of them, around four or five years old, was looking right at him and Anemone. Windracer waved his talons at the prince, but the younger dragon's eyes were locked on Anemone.

Was that guilt Windracer saw in the SeaWing's eyes?

The animus princess failed to notice that she and Windracer were being watched. She just kept rambling on and on about how awesome it was to be an animus, and all the accomplishments they wouldn't have been able to do without their powers. The more she talked, the more her brother tried to hide his look of...regret?

"Hold on a minute," Windracer said gently. Leaving a confused Anemone, the hybrid padded over to the other SeaWing. "Are you okay?"

The prince shook his head.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Windracer asked.

The SeaWing hesitated, then nodded. He raised his talons to point into the far corner, which was devoid of any dragons. Understanding, Windracer led himself and the prince into the corner, gently patting Anemone on the head as they passed by.

When Windracer was sure they were alone, he asked the prince, "What's wrong?"

Scrunching up his face as though he were in pain, the prince avoided Windracer's eyes.

"Anemone isn't an animus."

He spoke so quietly, Windracer didn't hear a word he'd said. "What?"

Sighing, the prince forced himself to look at the hybrid. "Anemone isn't really an animus," he said. "I am. I enchanted her to be one because I didn't want to be discovered. Mother always dreamed that Anemone would be an animus, and I didn't want them to find out about my power. So, I enchanted her to have magic, to let her have all the attention instead of me. To Mother, I'm just another one of her many sons who is useless and can't inherit the throne, and I want it to stay that way. I've always dreamed of being a hero, but I guess I always knew deep down that could never be me. I failed to find Snapper that one time, and my sisters were killed because of me. I was using a piece of coral I enchanted to help me find what I was looking for, but it wasn't leading me to anywhere near Snapper. I knew then that if anyone knew I was an animus, I'd always be the animus who failed to use the power he had to save his sisters. Maybe that's who I'm destined to be, a failure."

Windracer sat down. Hard.

There were aspects about this prince that resembled him. His insecurity, his fear of failing, his desire to hide his powers to avoid hurting anyone or doing something wrong.

Windracer reached into the leather pouch that was hanging from around his neck, and pulled out the wooden bowl he'd enchanted. "Let me explain something, uh..." He wasn't sure what to refer to the SeaWing as.

"Turtle," the prince blurted out. Then he spoke more calmly. "My name is Turtle."

Windracer nodded. "Turtle," he said, testing out the name. "Your powers don't make you who you are. It's what you do with that power that counts. The choices you make, the actions you take, that's what defines who you are. I learned that after I stepped out from under the mountain. Now it's your turn." He held out the bowl for the SeaWing to take. "I enchanted this to double the amount of whatever is in it. All you have to do is put something in there, say 'twice as much, please,' and the amount will be doubled. I haven't really used it much, so you can have it, if you want."

Turtle reached out and grabbed the bowl. His eyes were cloudy, as if he was about to cry. "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me. Windracer, right?"

The hybrid nodded in confirmation.

"Thank you," said Turtle.

Just then, there was a shrill scream from the middle of the room. Windracer jumped in surprise before hurrying over to see what was going on. Auburn suddenly barreled past him, tears streaming down her cheeks.

He found Queen Coral, and asked hastily, "What's going on?"

"We found a dead SkyWing on a nearby island," answered a female SeaWing with grey-green scales and small, unsettling, bone-pale eyes that reminded Windracer of Commander Shark.

"This is Moray," Coral said, "The daughter of Commander Shark, and my niece."

Windracer had a feeling she was going to say that. He'd seen Princess Moray in close proximity to her father on the SeaWing Council, and it was easy to see the resemblance. Then his mind drifted back to what Moray had just said. "What's this about a dead SkyWing?"

Moray pointed to the table, where a rust-colored body was being laid across. "The patrol found it on a nearby island. They didn't know what to do with it, so they brought it here. Apparently, she was attacked and killed by a SandWing. Which is odd, because, for what reason would a SkyWing and a SandWing be fighting in SeaWing territory?"

Windracer's blood ran cold as ice as he pushed past Moray to get a look at the body of the dead SkyWing. He'd already had a suspicion about who it was, but only when he officially recognized the corpse did he understand why his mother had been so upset.

It was Kestrel.

* * *

 **Sad as it may be, I'm starting to lose interest in this story, mostly because of how passionate I am about my other crossover series. Updates may be slower, but don't think for a second that this story is dead.**

 **Auburn - Valka  
Windracer - Hiccup  
Arid - Astrid  
** **Lagoon - Heather  
Bog - Fishlegs  
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut  
Killer - Stoick  
Inferno - Snotlout  
Scorch - Spitelout  
Frost - Dagur**


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

 **Again, things move along faster than in the original novels.**

* * *

Dead.

Kestrel was dead.

Windracer's aunt was dead.

Auburn's sister was dead.

Auburn!

The SkyWing-NightWing hybrid turned away and flew off in the direction he saw his mother going. They were at the Summer Palace, where the only way in was underwater. The dragonets and the three adults accompanying them were lucky to be able to hold their breath long enough until they reached the breathing holes meant for Blister and the SeaWings' allies.

Knowing that Auburn was not likely to swim out of the palace with how upset she was, Windracer went to check the caves meant to house guests. He found his mother in the cave that was positioned the highest, which made sense, because it was the only one that was always dry and where fire was allowed.

The sound of her son's wingbeats and the sound of his talons settling on the cave floor were the only things Auburn raised her head for. She'd buried herself into her wings, and she looked absolutely devastated.

Windracer wanted to say something, anything, to assure his mother that everything would be alright. But what could he say to a dragon that had lost her sister? Finally, he managed to force out a very sympathetic, "I'm sorry, Mom."

Auburn's eyes glistened at the sound of her son's voice. The next thing he knew, she was hugging him tightly, her talons on the back of his neck while her wings enveloped his body. She was still sobbing, Windracer could feel her tears trailing down his scales as she held him close.

"I didn't know Kestrel like you did," he admitted. "We only ever knew her as a grump who hated dragonets, but I know she was a lot more to you. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm not as upset as you are."

Auburn pulled back to look at her son, but she didn't dare to let go of him. "My sister was the only dragon who ever understood me," she said. "I was with her when she met Scorch. Queen Scarlet sent us both through the breeding program so we could give her more soldiers for the army. After Killer left, I lied and said I was infertile. Kestrel was the only one I knew I could trust with my secret. But I didn't tell her whose egg it was, because I knew that if she knew I was carrying a NightWing's dragonet, she'd tell the queen, and I might as well have ended up dead. She helped me hide you. We left half-eaten carcasses all around my room to explain my gaining weight, but it was harder when you came out. I did everything I could to protect you from Scarlet. Hiding you in a pile of blankets, posing you as a room decoration, I even tried painting your eggshell, so you'd pass as a normal SkyWing egg, and sneaking you into the hatchery."

Windracer was left speechless. He wasn't sure if it was true at first, but he could see the amount of truth Auburn held in her eyes.

"I was with Kestrel when Inferno hatched," she said. "Scarlet immediately took him away to be trained for the army. She wouldn't let Kestrel go anywhere near her son. She fed Inferno lies about his mother, that she didn't love him, so he wouldn't have anything that Scarlet considered a liability. Kestrel was so furious with the queen, she left the kingdom to work for the Talons of Peace full-time. She'd only ever been a source of information for them until that point. Because she had a dragonet, she was assigned the duty of guardian for the Dragonets of Destiny. I know because she told me herself. I never considered myself a Talon, but I knew I could be safe with them if Scarlet ever tried to hurt me, or those I love."

Now Windracer felt like he was about to cry. Kestrel had done so much to help Auburn keep him safe, and all he had to remember his aunt by was how poorly she'd treated him all those years, all because Scarlet had kept her away from her own son.

Auburn lifted her talons and cupped her son's face, caressing his scales and horns lovingly. "Don't think for one second that this is your fault," she said, reading his expression. "Kestrel chose to do what she did, and there's nothing we can do to change that. No matter what my sister said to you, you have never been a burden to anyone." She embraced him again. "You are the best thing that's ever happened to me, Windracer. I will never regret having you."

With that, Windracer descended into a series of sobs befitting of a one-year-old dragonet. "Mom!" he choked out, hugging her back with as much force as she was using. This was where he wanted to be more than anything, here in his mother's warm embrace, like he should have been all along.

Much calmer now, Auburn stroked her son with a gentle, mother's touch. "It's alright," she crooned. "I have you, now, my little moonbeam. I'm never letting you go again, I promise."

Mother and son ended up crying themselves to sleep that night. Curled up together in the cave, like how Auburn always dreamed they'd be.

* * *

Perhaps it was his imagination, but Windracer had slept better that night than he ever had in his entire life. It felt so nice to know that he had his mother, a dragon who loved him with everything she had, there with him. Every time a chill from the wind blew through the cave, Windracer would instinctively snuggle into Auburn's wings, which were draped over him like a blanket, to keep warm.

The hybrid woke up early that morning at the sound of something hissing. He lifted his head up and found a figure towering in the entrance of the cave. Glittering black eyes met Windracer's. A poisonous tail barb flicked up and down. White-gold scales marked with black diamond patterns caught the glint of sunlight now trickling through the canopy.

Windracer leapt to his feet as he recognized the SandWing that was watching him. "Blister."

"Queen Blister," the SandWing insisted, her voice hissing in irritation. "Staying dry, I presume," she went on conversationally. "Very wise. I would have done the same thing."

A crazy amount of bravery coursing through him, Windracer stood as tall as he could and looked Blister in the eye. "You're not the queen of the SandWings. And you won't be unless either you kill your sisters, or if we choose you to be. And based on what I know about you, it's very likely that we will never choose you to be the next queen. Everyone's afraid of you, in all the bad ways. You're too dangerous. For all we know, you could be plotting this unspeakable plan to take over every tribe on the continent, and then some."

He was expecting the sadistic princess to stab his heart with her tail and kill him right then and there. But instead, a big, sinister smile curled her snout. And it was the most nightmarish thing he'd ever seen in his entire life.

"I was planning to come here and visit my allies," Blister hissed, "When you made the mistake of exposing yourself to everyone on Pyrrhia with that big heroic speech of yours. The SeaWings are too afraid of me to break off our alliance because they know what I can do to their queen. I disposed of Kestrel, and I can just as easily do the same to you." She took giant steps towards Windracer, pinning him against the wall of the cave, towering over him and staring at him with her sinister black eyes narrowed and her snout still curled up in that sadistic smile. "Morrowseer's prophecy may not be real, but you know as well as anyone that the SandWings still need a queen. You can look into my head, see all my futures, and cast as many spells on me as you want, half-breed, but nothing you do will ever stop me from becoming queen. You have a choice. You're either with me, or against me. You don't have to answer right now, I'll give you until the end of my visit. I'll warn you ahead of time, make the wrong decision and you and all your loved ones will be sleeping with your guardian dragons. Dune, Kestrel, and Webs, right? Ah, yes, and Asha and Hvitur. Of course, you don't know those two, they died before you brats hatched on that phenomenal brightest night. Consider yourself lucky, though, they would have filled up your little heads with nonsense about how great the prophecy is and how much hope it holds for all the slaves and commoners that are forced to get their claws dirty for me and my sisters."

His heart hammering in his chest, Windracer tried to look as fearless as he could. _What would Arid do? How would she handle this?_ His girlfriend was the bravest dragon he knew, besides his mother, of course, so she was the example he turned to when he needed to say or do something brave. "You won't get away with this," he finally uttered, though it probably wasn't the smartest thing to say in that moment.

He was proven right when Blister let out what was most likely the most evil and spine-tingling chuckle he'd ever hear. "You really are a stupid half-breed. Can't you see? I already have."

After that, all Windracer could see was darkness. His breathing grew fast and shallow, countless thoughts flew through his mind like birds scattering out of the trees. Only one string of thought was clear.

 _I'm dead. Blister has killed me, and now I'm dead._

And then...

...

...

...he realized he had his eyes closed.

He opened them.

Blister was gone.

There was no stabbing pain in his chest, or anywhere else.

There was no venom coursing through his blood, no poison seeking to end his life.

Had he been dreaming? No, it felt all too real. Blister had been there, and she'd still be there, in his head, haunting the nightmares he had about his friends and family dying and all of Pyrrhia falling into chaos.

A strong chill slithering down his spine, Windracer padded over to where Auburn was still sleeping and slipped back into her wings. He sighed at the protective warmth that enveloped him once again. There was still some time for him to get some more sleep, and hopefully shake off the frightful experience he'd just had.

They couldn't choose Blister, he knew that all too well. She was too smart, too dangerous, too conniving. She'd plunge the entire continent into a never-ending nightmare of tyranny and destruction. She'd kill any dragon who'd dare to stand in her way, and then she'd put an end to dozens of innocent lives just for fun.

 _We can't let her do that. She can't be queen. She'll kill us if we don't choose her, but she might kill us anyway if we do._

 _I can't let that happen. I need to stop her. I need to protect Mom, and Arid, and all my friends._

 _No matter the cost..._

* * *

 **Blister is the walking definition of nightmare fuel. I mean, if she isn't, then, I don't know what is.**

 **On a happier note, we got a touching mother-son bonding moment. I almost cried while writing that. Almost.**

 **The investigation of the princess murders might be up next. Key word: might.**

 **Auburn - Valka  
Windracer - Hiccup  
Arid - Astrid  
** **Lagoon - Heather  
Bog - Fishlegs  
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut  
Killer - Stoick  
Inferno - Snotlout  
Scorch - Spitelout  
Frost - Dagur**


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

 **Now the investigation begins.**

* * *

Windracer was glad to find his friends waiting for him and Auburn in the Feasting Hall that morning for breakfast. What he didn't like was that Blister was there, too, sitting on the second-highest chair next to Queen Coral, who was in the highest chair herself. Those empty, black orbs that were the SandWing's eyes seemed to be burning a hole into Windracer's mind.

 _She killed Kestrel, my aunt. She can just as easily kill me, and all my friends._

He sat down between his mother and his girlfriend, the two dragons he knew would protect him as much as he would protect them. He spotted Lagoon sitting across from him, cradling a green egg with blue spiral patterns on it. A quick peek into her mind told him everything he needed to know.

 _It was so nice of Riptide to teach me some Aquatic...that Whirlpool is a terrible teacher...I have to protect this egg...it's the only one left that's female...maybe my friends can help me find the assassin?_

Windracer looked down the table towards Queen Coral and Blister. When they spotted him staring, he quickly shifted his eyes to a plate of herrings in an effort to not look too conspicuous. He grabbed one of the slippery little squirts and swallowed it whole, then reached out to grab an octopus tentacle. A tap on his shoulder made him turn around. He jumped when he realized that Queen Coral was standing right behind him.

"Before I forget," said the SeaWing queen, "I was wondering if you would be interested in being Anemone's animus tutor."

Because she had said this while the SkyWing-NightWing hybrid had been eating the tentacle, he started choking on it in surprise. When he managed to spit it out, he stuttered, "W-what?!"

Coral gave him a somewhat amused smile. "Queen Blister suggested we have her learn from an older animus so she will be more prepared for ending the war. You're the only other animus I know, so of course you're the obvious choice."

Windracer looked over at Blister, who was wearing a sinister grin. He bowed his head to Queen Coral. "With all due respect, Your Majesty, _Princess_ Blister has no authority over you here in the Kingdom of the Sea." He made sure to put a lot of emphasis on the word 'princess.' "Perhaps you should try making those kinds of decisions on your own? Anemone is your daughter, after all." He ignored the look of pure murder that was now on Blister's face.

"You don't have to teach her any new techniques," Coral promised, "Just some advice will do just fine." She pulled on the chain that was connected to the harness that kept Anemone tethered to her mother. The little princess padded over obediently.

"You want my advice?" Windracer asked. When Anemone nodded, he stated, "Don't use your magic unless you absolutely have to. Try every solution you can think of first. If that doesn't work, you can try a spell. And make sure you're using your magic for the benefit of others, not just for yourself. That's what I've been doing. I like to believe we have these powers for a reason, and I want to make mine a good one."

Anemone frowned. That wasn't the kind of advice she was hoping for. But, as they say, you take what you can get. "I want mine to be a good one, too."

Windracer gave her a warm smile before looking up at Queen Coral. "Have you ever considered the possibility of there being more than one animus in your family, Your Majesty?" He figured that if she was going to learn about Turtle, he'd want it to be under the best possible circumstances.

"Nonsense," Coral said, shaking her head. She looked down at her daughter with a proud smile. "Anemone is the only animus we need."

 _But she isn't,_ Windracer couldn't help thinking. _Turtle is the real animus. He at least deserves some recognition for giving Anemone her gift._ He wanted to tell this to the SeaWing queen, but he was sure that he'd be betraying Turtle's trust, and friendship, if he did. So, he said nothing.

"I'll leave you two to talk magic," Coral said, gracefully padding back to her seat at the table.

This could very well be the kind of opportunity Windracer needed. "Listen," he said to Anemone in a whisper, "Someone's been smashing all of your sisters' eggs, and we need to find out who and why. Is there anything you know that might be able to help us?"

Anemone shifted her talons nervously. "Well, there was one other princess that made it all the way to their hatching time," she said. "Orca. She was Mother's oldest daughter."

"What happened to her?" Windracer asked.

"I only know what the other dragons have told me," Anemone explained, "They said she challenged Mother to the throne almost the moment she turned seven. She nearly won, too, but Mother killed her in the end. She was devastated, but a lot of the other SeaWings still hate Orca."

"Probably because of how close she came to killing the queen," Windracer reasoned. "Is there anything else you can tell me? Any new piece of information could be useful."

Anemone pointed to some of the carvings that decorated the feasting table. "Mother says that Orca was very talented at sculpting. Apparently, a lot of the statues in both palaces were carved by her."

Windracer picked up one of the carved, stone seahorses and examined it carefully. A few pieces he hadn't known about before were slowly starting to come together in his head.

The sound of talons scraping on the floor warned him that Blister was heading their way. He set the statue down and looked the other way. The SandWing princess patted Anemone on the head. "I've heard you're coming along rather nicely. I can't wait to see what new spells you've learned!"

"Why?" Windracer asked, "So you can use her to win the war for you?"

All of his friends turned their heads to look at him. He hadn't been speaking loud enough for everyone to hear him, but at least they had.

Blister shifted her glare to the hybrid. "I take it you didn't understand my message to you earlier," she hissed, "Do I have to remind you?"

"No," Windracer said, boldly, "You made yourself very clear. You killed Kestrel, and now you want to kill us because you know we don't want you to be queen."

Auburn looked at Blister with wide eyes. She knew the SandWing was dangerous, but she hadn't considered the possibility of Blister being the one who killed her sister.

"You seem to have a habit of talking when you're not supposed to," Blister said with a snarl. "Filthy half-breed!"

A furious and tail-lashing Arid threw herself between her boyfriend and the sadistic princess. "Don't you dare talk to him like that!"

Blister gave the IceWing-SandWing hybrid an amused smile. "And just what do you think _you're_ going to do about it?" she asked.

"Anyone who messes with me, or Windracer, will end up with a face full of flames and frostbreath!" was Arid's response. Strong and fearless, like her.

A grinning Mango whispered to her twin brother, "Try saying that five times fast."

Of course, Marmoset had to give it a try. "Face full of flames and frostbreath, face full of flames and frostbreath..."

"Brave," Blister complimented the female hybrid. "But sadly misguided. You all know, deep down, that I'm the best candidate to be queen." She lowered her head down to Arid's eye level. "But if you favor Burn, I'm sure she'd love to reserve a spot for you in her Weirdling Tower. Your white and yellow mixed scales would look so pretty with all the other décor. After all, it's not every day you find a IceWing-SandWing hybrid that's lived past three years. Most of them are killed in their eggs, you know."

Windracer saw the princess's tail rise up behind her, ready to strike. Letting out a silent gasp, he dug his talons into his bag and grasped at the thing he was looking for.

The next moment was all a blur. Blister's tail sprung forward, aimed at Arid's heart. At the same time, Windracer flung himself towards his girlfriend, grabbing her talons and slipping something over her wrist.

"NO!"

He had no need to shout, as the poisonous barb on Blister's tail grazed harmlessly off of Arid's chest. It hadn't even left a scratch.

Arid and Windracer simultaneously looked down at the female hybrid's wrist. Her boyfriend's talons were grasping hers tightly, and a set of brown beads on a string were clashing against the white color of her scales.

It was the bracelet Windracer had enchanted to protect its wearer from harm. That was what saved her life.

All eyes were on them now. Even the SeaWing queen couldn't hide her shock at what had just occurred. Surely she wouldn't allow Blister to stay in her kingdom very much longer after what had just happened.

Coral didn't get the chance to say anything before Blister suddenly flapped her wings and lifted off of the floor. She flew out of the Feasting Hall faster than any SkyWing Windracer had seen.

 _She can't be running away,_ he thought to himself. _She's too clever for that. She might be getting a hostage to threaten Queen Coral with. But, then she would have stayed and used Lagoon or Anemone, or even that poor little egg. She must be up to something else._

But there was still an even bigger mystery to be solved. The princess murders. Now with ample time to think, Windracer grabbed the carved, stone seahorse on the table and examined it again.

 _Animus magic runs in the royal family...the murders started after Orca was killed by her mother...Orca had a talent for sculpting...what if...?_

He didn't have time to finish his thought before Blister suddenly returned with a dragon in her talons. "Found this fellow hiding in the canopy. A spy, most likely."

Windracer saw Queen Coral's eyes flash dangerously as she recognized the dragon the SandWing princess was clutching. "Not a spy." She grabbed the dragon by the neck and shook him. Her green eyes were sparks of rage and triumph. "This is Webs, our tribe's biggest traitor. I've been looking for him for years."

"Your Majesty," Webs croaked, scrabbling at his throat. "Please. I've come to beg for mercy."

" _Mercy_ ," Coral hissed. "After what you did." She shook him again, harder. "Mercy denied." She flung him to the floor and slammed her tail into the side of his head. Webs went limp, his eyes closed, and he fell over with a thump.

"Stop!" Windracer yelled. "Don't hurt him! He never meant any harm!"

Why did he just shout like that? Why was he defending Webs? _He was the nicest of our guardians. Maybe we reminded him of his son. I want Riptide to have the chance to meet his father, just like I want to. Or, at least, I think I want to._

Coral shifted her gaze to the dozen or so other SeaWings in the room. "We'll take this somewhere else," she said, "There's been far too much of a scene here already."

* * *

Somewhere else turned out to be the cave Auburn and Windracer had slept in last night. Blister's cave.

Webs was awake and staring at all of the dragonets. Windracer could see the SeaWing's face light up with joy, and, quite honestly, he wasn't too surprised at that.

"You're all safe," Webs said, his talons twitching as he restrained himself from reaching out towards them. "I was afraid someone might have gotten to you...that message you sent...they'll be coming for you now."

"We know," Arid said assuringly. "And trust me, we can handle them."

Webs saw Queen Coral and the thunderous look on her face, and Blister coiled menacingly behind her. He shuddered. "I know I am not worthy of your mercy, Your Majesty. But the egg, it was so blue...I only did it for the prophecy."

"A prophecy that isn't real," Coral reminded him. "How did you get into the hatchery? I had guards posted every moment until the eggs hatched."

Webs hung his head. "I drugged the guards," he said. "I knew someone who helped me. It wasn't their fault."

"Well," Coral said, tossing her head a little, "I killed them anyway. As for that someone who helped you...your wife, I assume? Of course, that's why she was reassigned from the kitchens to the front lines. Too bad that first battle was such a bloodbath."

Webs looked as if all the light had been scraped out of his scales. The poor SeaWing descended into quiet sobs.

Windracer felt his heart ache. He couldn't imagine leaving behind the one he loved the most, but it had to be one of, if not the absolute, most difficult things Webs had done. And now his wife was dead, he'd never get to see her again. All he had left was Riptide, and he might not even know if his son was still alive.

Was he reading Webs's mind at that very moment? Because all of those thoughts were real enough to actually belong to the SeaWing guardian.

"Riptide's alive," said the male hybrid. Some of his heartache faded away when he saw Webs's face light up a little. "He helped us get here to the Kingdom of the Sea. He actually told us more about you, and himself, than we thought he could." He then turned to Queen Coral. "I know you're angry with Webs, but killing him now isn't going to change anything. All he's ever wanted to do is end this war, and he believed that following the prophecy was the best way to do it. He...he saved Lagoon!"

Saved her? Lagoon's life was most certainly ruined by the Talons of Peace. Kept in a cave under a mountain, never taught the SeaWings' underwater language, treated like a undeserving brat like the rest of her friends.

"He most certainly did not," Coral growled.

"He did," Windracer insisted. "All of your other female heirs, besides Orca and Anemone, have been killed before they could hatch. Lagoon would have died, too, if Webs hadn't taken her egg for the prophecy. I know it's hard for you to believe, but the Talons of Peace saved your daughter's life."

They all knew he was right. Lagoon's life had been saved almost like his and Arid's had. He would have been killed by Queen Scarlet if Auburn hadn't brought his egg to Kestrel, and Arid probably would have been killed and stuffed in Princess Burn's tower if Dune hadn't taken her egg from Ocotillo.

"Horrible lies," Blister snarled. "What more can be expected from a filthy half-breed?" She grabbed Webs by the neck and held him up for Queen Coral to see. "Before you send this fellow to the prison, why not wait and ask him about why he's killing off all your heirs?"

"WHAT?!" Lagoon nearly roared in shock. She jumped up so suddenly, she had to scramble to maintain her hold on the egg that was soon to be her baby sister.

"It's all part of his plan to make you the only living SeaWing princess," Blister said, her sinister smile making a return appearance. "With all the other possible heirs dead, you'd become more and more valuable. A bargaining chip, if the Talons of Peace ever needed one."

Windracer wanted to yell out in frustration and cower in fear at the same time. He was very much afraid of Blister, but it was hard not to get irritated at the fact that the SandWing princess was lying through her teeth.

"That's not possible," he finally said, his voice shaking with both anger and anxiety. "The murders started two years before Lagoon's egg was stolen. Webs wasn't even a Talon then. Also, he's been living with us underground, half a continent away. He couldn't have flown here and back just to kill those dragonets."

Blister shifted her gaze on to him in a very bone-chillingly slow fashion. "And you know who's really behind it, oh great prophecy-speaking dragonet?"

"I have a hunch," Windracer admitted. "But I'm going to need to look at the broken eggshells if I want to know for sure. Which I do. So, Your Majesty, if you wouldn't mind." He held out his talons to Coral.

The SeaWing Queen turned to one of her guards, who was waiting near the cave opening. He flew off, and then returned moments later carrying several blue shards of the broken eggshell that had been found in the Royal Hatchery just that morning. Windracer grabbed the two biggest pieces and set one of them on the cave floor in front of him. He then held the other out to Lagoon. "Take this."

Lagoon passed the intact egg over to Bog before she grabbed the eggshell and held it in her webbed talons.

"Now smash it under your claws," Windracer ordered calmly.

Lagoon looked shocked. "What? Why?"

"Humor me," was all Windracer said.

The SeaWing princess did as she was asked. She placed the eggshell on the cave floor and, in one swift movement, slammed her talons down on it, smashing it into slightly smaller pieces. She and Windracer saw the queen flinch at the sound of the shell cracking and shattering.

Windracer held out his talons. "Now give it back to me."

Lagoon obliged. She looked shaken, but the SkyWing-NightWing hybrid guessed she'd get over it soon. Lagoon was like that sometimes.

Windracer set the eggshell Lagoon had smashed right next to the bigger piece that had remained in the spot he'd placed it. "Look at the edges," he said, tracing his talon along the jagged ends of the eggshells. They both had obvious claw marks, but there was something off about the one that Lagoon hadn't touched. It looked like it had been clawed, but by something stronger than a dragon's talons.

"The jagged ends don't match," Windracer continued. He held up the bigger piece so he could get a better look at it. "If I had to guess, I'd say whatever smashed this egg had to be made out of stone."

Blister scoffed. "That doesn't prove anything. It could have been smashed against a rock."

"Maybe," Windracer mused, "But that still doesn't mean that Webs is the one who did it." He turned to the SeaWing queen. "Did Orca carve any of the statues near the Royal Hatchery?"

"She dedicated a statue of herself to the hatchery specifically," Coral answered with confusion in her eyes. "It's been in there since before she challenged me to the throne." Then she glared at him. "How do you know about Orca?"

"Anemone told me everything," Windracer said, "Don't be mad at her, though, I was the one who asked."

Blister easily silenced him with a glare. "Nevertheless, I'm sure that with Webs locked away, or preferably executed, your egg will be safe, Coral."

"That's a lie," Windracer nearly yelled. "Blister killed Kestrel. She just tried to kill Arid. She wants Webs dead for her own reasons, not yours! Your Majesty, please, think for yourself for once!"

Queen Coral looked from him to Blister, then him, and back to Blister again. She knew the SandWing could easily kill her right then and there if she made a choice Blister didn't approve of.

"Sorry, young prophet," said the SeaWing queen. "But Webs has too much to answer for. Including why he thought Lagoon was an appropriate name for my daughter." That last sentence came out in the form of a snarl.

Webs bowed his head down low. "It was the only name I could think of," he said with every drop of honesty he could muster.

Coral turned to Lagoon. "Go put the egg back in the Royal Hatchery. It'll be safe there, now that we have the assassin."

Lagoon's eyes went wide. "I'm not risking a dragonet's life because you've fallen for some crazy story Blister just invented! I'm staying with this egg until it hatches, no matter what!"

"In the Royal Hatchery?" Queen Coral asked. "All night?"

Lagoon gave a firm nod before she left the cave, the egg still in her webbed talons. Coral grabbed Webs by the neck and dragged him out, allowing the guards to escort him to the prisons. Blister was the last to leave. Her sinister, lying mouth said nothing. But her eyes said, "You're next, half-breed."

It didn't matter, though, because Windracer had it all figured out the moment Queen Coral said that Orca had dedicated a statue of herself to the Royal Hatchery. _It all fits!_

"We need to find Prince Turtle," he said, and quite suddenly.

Auburn, Storm, Ocotillo and the dragonets all looked at him like he was insane. "What for?" Bog asked.

"I know who the assassin is," Windracer said with absolute, undeniable certainty. "And they're going to kill Lagoon, and the dragonet inside that egg, if we don't stop them!"

* * *

 **Leave it to Hiccup's smarts to save the day. Or, in this case, Windracer's smarts. Now it's all down to whether or not he can get there in time.**

 **Auburn - Valka  
Windracer - Hiccup  
Arid - Astrid  
** **Lagoon - Heather  
Bog - Fishlegs  
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut  
Killer - Stoick  
Inferno - Snotlout  
Scorch - Spitelout  
Frost - Dagur**


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

 **You wouldn't believe how busy I've been. But, new chapter, so, yay!**

* * *

"Prince Turtle?" Arid repeated in confusion. "Why?"

"I can't explain right now," Windracer said hastily. "But we have to find him, he's the only one who can help!" He dug his talons into his leather bag, searching desperately for the thing he needed to help him find the SeaWing prince.

 _There!_

His talons closed around the blunted spearhead, and he lifted it out of his bag. He held it up near his mouth and quickly said, "Prince Turtle of the SeaWings."

The spearhead twitched and twisted in his claws. It tugged him out of the cave and down toward one of the lower platforms of the Summer Palace, where a lone green SeaWing was sulking.

"Turtle!" the hybrid cried.

The prince looked up at the sound of his name, his eyes widening at the sight of Windracer descending upon him. "Wh-what?' he stammered, "What do you want?"

"Your help," said Windracer, tucking the spearhead back into his bag. "Your sisters are in danger, and I have to save them. Do you have anything that can help get to the Royal Hatchery without drowning? Any enchanted jewelry, or even a stick or a rock?"

Turtle looked pessimistically thoughtful. "Well...there is this necklace I enchanted to give the dragon wearing it the ability to breath underwater like a SeaWing. I intended it for when Blister came to visit, so she wouldn't have to hold her breath while getting in, but I never figured out how to explain it to Mother without exposing myself."

"Where is it?" Windracer asked. "Do you have it?"

"I know where it is," said Turtle, "But are you sure you want it?"

"I need it," the hybrid insisted, "You're the only one who can help me save Lagoon and the egg, Turtle. I need _your help_." He could hear the wingbeats of his friends as they searched for him throughout the palace. He didn't want to have to explain why he was seeking out Turtle's help, and he knew Turtle didn't want that either. Not when his secret animus powers were on the line.

Nodding, Turtle dove into the water and swam off as fast as he could go.

Windracer dug around in his bag until he found the stick he'd enchanted to make himself invisible. As aware as he was of the fact that he could have easily enchanted something to allow him easy access to the Royal Hatchery, he feared that with every minute he would have spent finding the right item to enchant and wording the spell as carefully as he could, he would have arrived too late.

Turtle was smart. Windracer could count on him.

The SeaWing prince returned faster than Windracer had thought, with a seashell necklace clutched tightly in his webbed talons.

"I made it myself," the prince explained. "I know it doesn't look the best - "

"It's perfect," said Windracer with a reassuring smile. "It's just what I need." He grabbed the necklace and draped it around his neck. The shells felt heavy and a little disorganized, but they made up for it by sliding coolly across Windracer's scales.

 _Now to see if it works._

Windracer started for the water, but stopped when he heard Turtle call his name.

"If Mother asks," Turtle said while wringing his claws nervously. "Can you tell her you enchanted the necklace? Can you keep my secret?"

Windracer wasn't sure how to answer that. He wanted to say yes, but he wasn't sure if that was a promise he could keep. He shook his head. "I don't know if I can, Turtle," he said with the utmost honesty. "I hate lying, especially to someone as important as a queen. But I also don't want to expose you. You're the closest thing I have to a friend in this kingdom."

Turtle gasped.

"I see myself in you," Windracer continued, "You're inventive, resourceful, and you try to use your power in all the right ways." He turned away from the water, now facing Turtle fully. "I can't, and I won't, make you share your power with the other SeaWings. That's a choice only you can make. Just listen to your heart, like I did. I can promise you that it won't steer you wrong."

And with that, he dove beneath the waves of ocean water. The salt stung his eyes a little, but he ignored it. He opened his mouth and inhaled, taking in a mouthful of water.

The necklace did its job well. To Windracer, taking in water was the same as taking in air. He could breathe under the sea.

Moving quickly, the hybrid used his wings to push himself through the water, flapping and flailing as hard and as fast as he could. Although he lacked the webs and powerful tail of a SeaWing, he made up for it with his strong SkyWing wings, which pumped through the water in long strides. It was almost like flying.

It felt like eternity, but Windracer managed to find the Royal Hatchery. More accurately, he found Lagoon and followed her straight to it.

The hybrid had grabbed the Invisibility Stick from inside his bag, so no one saw him as he swam after the princess, into a coral cavern, down a tunnel, and through a set of doors into a room that was shaped like the inside of a large, pale egg. A SeaWing dragon carved from dark green marble stood in the center of the room, upon a stone pedestal. The base of the statue had the word ORCA spelled out in various gemstones.

Nests made of seaweed were tucked into niches in the floor, with wide pathways stretching between them. One clutch of three eggs was tucked against a wall, no doubt containing soon-to-be princes that could never inherit the throne.

Windracer hastened to avoid having the door close on his tail, swimming up to the ceiling of the hatchery. The room was pitch-black, but the hybrid had inherited a useful power from his NightWing father - the ability to see in the dark.

He could see Lagoon holding a narwhal spear to defend herself, and the egg, with. She used it to poke and prod the walls, looking for a secret entrance the assassin could have been using to get inside.

 _They don't need one of those,_ Windracer said in his thoughts. He wanted to swim down and tell his friend that she and the egg weren't safe there alone, that she was in mortal danger. But if he startled her, it was very likely she'd accidentally impale him with the spear.

So he stayed and waited, hoping against all hope that for just this once, he'd been wrong.

But every ounce of luck in the world was working against him at that moment.

 _Scrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaape._

Windracer's eyes instantly darted to look at Orca's statue. His blood ran cold when he saw the statue's head turn slowly to look at Lagoon, who was frozen in shock.

 _Scrrape. Scrrape. Scrrrrape._

Stone claws curled around the top of the pedestal.

A stone tongue flicked between jagged sharklike teeth.

 _I was right,_ Windracer thought with dread. _Nobody's sneaking in. The assassin's **been here all along.**_

And then the statue hurtled off the pedestal, talons reaching to snatch the egg.

Lagoon flung herself between the statue and her unhatched sister. Green marble claws raked at Lagoon's neck, heavier and thicker than a real dragon's.

Windracer had guessed it was enchanted to kill only when it was sure there were no guards around - no queen, no one to witness its crimes and stop it from striking again.

But Lagoon was an heir. She wasn't a witness. She was a target.

And as long as Windracer stayed invisible, the statue would continue its assault until Lagoon and the unhatched dragonet were surely dead.

Seeing this as his cue to act, Windracer beat his wings with newfound ferocity, propelling himself through the water toward Lagoon. The SeaWing princess pushed the statue away with all her might, but it didn't go back as far as she was hoping. However, it was enough of an opening for Windracer to grab Lagoon's talons and shove the enchanted stick into her open palm.

Now she was invisible, while he was in plain sight.

Marble Orca, which had been lunging for Lagoon's throat with claws outstretched, was now still and unmoving like an ordinary statue.

The enchantment only worked in secret. It dropped away when the door was opened, or when there was another dragon approaching. Whoever had set the curse - and Windracer had a good idea who - didn't want anyone to look in and catch the statue at its deadly work. Windracer guessed that the spell also alerted the statue when someone was coming, so it normally had time to return to its pedestal. And the statue would remain still as long as anyone else was around - like the queen or her guards. This statue was meant to keep murdering royal female dragonets for as long as it could.

Remembering the egg, Windracer turned around and reached for it. He felt a set of invisible webbed talons brush his, and he realized that Lagoon had had the exact same idea.

 _Tap tap tap._

The egg cracked down the middle and a small green head poked out. Dark green eyes blinked at Windracer.

Windracer smiled warmly at the newly-hatched princess, leaning in to nuzzle her tiny snout. That was the only way he could say hello.

Beside him, Lagoon released the stick, bringing herself back into view so she could hug her new baby sister.

That left Windracer free to deal with the statue. Leaving the stick to float up to the ceiling, he swam over to the stone statue, laying his talons on its forehead.

 _Come back to life,_ he thought at it. _Leave all of the princesses unharmed. Go straight to Queen Coral, wherever she might be, and tell her who enchanted you to smash those eggs._

The statue gave a jolt before pulling back, looking from side to side as if it had just woken up from a deep sleep. Then it darted for the doors, throwing them open and disappearing down the tunnel leading out of the hatchery.

Its killing days would soon be over.

* * *

Bright morning light filtered through the canopy, casting puddles of green sunshine all across the Summer Palace. Windracer watched the little emerald-green dragonet whose life he and Lagoon had saved romp on the beach, kicking up sand and pouncing on crabs.

"What's her name?" Arid asked. She leaned into Windracer's side for a moment, allowing him to feel the pleasant mix of her hot-and-cold-radiating scales.

"I'm trying to think of the perfect one," Windracer said. "Queen Coral said it was up to me. But, what do you think, Lagoon?"

"You should know what I'm thinking," said the older princess. "You can read my mind."

He could, and he was. The name Lagoon wanted to suggest was near perfect.

Wingbeats sounded in the air above them, and they all looked up to see Coral, Anemone, and Blister circling down from the Summer Palace pavilion.

The green dragonet scampered up to Anemone as soon as she landed and tackled one of her talons. Anemone laughed and flipped her over playfully. The baby princess yelped, struggled upright again, and started clawing her way up Anemone's leg.

"Have you picked a name?" Queen Coral asked Windracer.

"What do you think of Auklet?" Windracer said. "That's a kind of seabird, right?"

The queen nodded to confirm that fact was correct. "Orca's statue has been destroyed," she said with a sigh. "It was so beautiful, too. I can't believe Orca was an animus and hid her powers from me. We'll have to examine all her other carvings, too."

"We're sure it was Orca, right?" Lagoon asked.

Coral shook her head. "The statue came to me during the Council meeting, moving around like a real dragon. It said Orca, plain as day."

"That was me," Windracer said, "I reanimated it and ordered it to tell you who had enchanted it."

The SeaWing queen eyed the hybrid with interest. "But how did you know it was her?"

Windracer gladly jumped right into his explanation. "It occurred to me when I remembered you saying that animus magic runs in the royal SeaWing family. Being an animus myself, and reading so many scrolls about animus dragons, I was aware of the capabilities of those who possess that power. And then when you told us that Orca had sculpted the statue of herself in the Royal Hatchery, it all made sense. Orca carved that statue and dedicated it to the hatchery shortly before she challenged you for the throne. She'd expected to win, so she was setting up a way to get rid of her possible heirs and challengers. That way she could rule the SeaWings for several generations."

"It explains her last words," said Coral sadly. "She said 'I did this all wrong. You're going to rule forever, aren't you, Mother? You should thank me. No one can stop you now.'" The queen looked down at Anemone and Auklet, playing in the sand. She stroked Anemone's head with a wistful expression.

"Impressive," Arid said, nudging Windracer. "You should consider becoming a detective."

Windracer only smiled, absently patting his leather bag where the stick and seashell necklace were safely tucked away.

"So, now what?" Bog asked hesitantly.

"You all come with me, of course," said Blister. The diamond patterns on her side writhed as she stepped closer.

"You can't tell us what to do," Arid said boldly.

" _I_ am your choice," Blister hissed. "The Ni - the Talons of Peace want _me_."

Windracer stared at the sinister SandWing princess suspiciously. _Was she about to say...?_

Storm and Ocotillo brushed past their daughter, facing Blister with fire in their eyes. "You threaten our daughter, you threaten us, too!"

Auburn quickly joined them, placing herself between Windracer and the SandWing princess.

"We will never choose you, Blister," Windracer called out from behind his mother's wing. "You will never be the SandWing queen."

Blister bared her teeth and raised her tail, ready to strike. "Oh, yes I will!"

And suddenly, a firebomb crashed through the canopy above, followed by several round cacti.

The Summer Palace was under attack.

* * *

 **The battle against Orca's statue would have been a lot shorter if Tsunami were an animus. I'm just saying.**

 **Auburn - Valka  
Windracer - Hiccup  
Arid - Astrid  
** **Lagoon - Heather  
Bog - Fishlegs  
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut  
Killer - Stoick  
Inferno - Snotlout  
Scorch - Spitelout  
Frost - Dagur**


	22. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

 **It's been too long, hasn't it? But like I said before, this story isn't dead (and neither is Peril's brother!).**

* * *

Panic.

Screaming.

For a palace surrounded by water, it was surprising how much caught on fire so quickly.

Large sections of the canopy collapsed, carrying flaming branches and leaves and debris down onto the Summer Palace. Windracer saw dragons spiraling toward the water, their wings alight with flames, shrieking with pain.

The firebombs were just logs set on fire, but they caused terrible damage as they crashed through the pavilion and knocked SeaWings out of the air. The cacti soon followed, exploding at even the slightest touch of fire and sending spiny seed pods everywhere.

"Someone's found us!" cried one of the guards, looking skyward in terror.

"But how?" asked a second guard.

 _Use your magic,_ Windracer thought to himself. _Cast a spell to save these dragons. Do something!_

He'd already failed to save a dragon once before, when he could have used his powers to heal their wounds. He couldn't let any more innocent dragons die all because he'd failed to act while he had the chance.

If he had acted, Princess Sleet would still be alive.

Frantic dragons shoved their way into the underwater exit tunnel, even though it wasn't anywhere near big enough for everyone to fit at once. There was only one other way out - flying out through the canopy, into the claws of the attackers.

"Those aren't SkyWings," said Queen Coral.

She was right. Instead of red and orange, the wing of dragons that was dropping bombs and breathing fire down on the canopy were as black as shadows.

"NightWings," Windracer realized. _That's what Blister almost said!_

Speaking of which, the SandWing princess flashed them a sadistic grin and hissed, "Looks like my backup has arrived. And not a moment too soon."

Queen Coral spread her wings and took off for the pavilion, the harness dragging Anemone and Auklet with her.

Lagoon lifted off the beach and darted after them, calling, "Mother!"

Windracer spread his wings to follow her, but Blister stepped in front of him.

"No one is going anywhere," she said, "Until you tell everyone you've chosen me as the next SandWing queen."

"Guess we're all living here from now on," Arid tried to joke.

It would have been funny if not for the firebombs that were raining down through the canopy and setting the pavilion ablaze.

Blister wasn't amused. "You watch that sassy little mouth of yours, half-breed!" She lashed out with her claws and tail, but the fleet-footed Arid sidestepped the attack.

A seething Storm stepped between the two dragons and snarled, "Not my daughter, you beast!" Then she lunged, pushing Blister onto her back and pinning her in the sand.

"Let's go!" Windracer shouted, spreading his wings.

The five dragonets, Auburn, and Ocotillo burst into the air. Below them, SeaWings were still trying to shove their way into the tunnel, and the churning mass of wings and scales around the exit didn't look any smaller than it had before.

"We can't go that way," Bog said.

"We'll have to go through the canopy," Arid said. They all looked up and saw three black dragons shoot by, breathing fire.

"I don't really love that plan either," Bog said in a smaller voice.

"I do!" shouted Marmoset.

"Best plan ever!" Mango agreed. The two siblings bumped their heads together and laughed joyfully.

Windracer spotted Lagoon at last. The SeaWing princess was standing at the entrance to the prison cave, with Riptide and a wounded Webs. The two younger SeaWings exchanged a look reminiscent of the ones Windracer shared with Arid.

Two clear futures lay before this princess they were happy to call their friend.

One was easier and less remarkable - a pleasant-enough life with someone who loved her more than she loved him, where Coral was reasonably unsatisfied all the time, but at least everything was somewhat normal.

The second was harder and darker, with buzzing wings and white-eyed wasp-dragons, but somewhere deep within the masses waited great love and a happy life.

Riptide was not that great love.

Lagoon was meant for someone else.

She, Riptide, and Webs soared up toward the tattered remains of the canopy to join her friends. Another flaming log came barreling down toward them, and Windracer yanked Auburn out of its path. It plummeted toward the lake, careening off the pavilion and setting another dragon on fire as it fell.

The pavilion was the nearest landing point. They could settle there for a bit while they thought out a proper plan to escape. Windracer led them down, dodging embers that blew in the wind.

No sooner had their talons touched the pavilion when Blister appeared hovering above them, holding Storm by the neck. The SandWing princess threw the IceWing onto the pavilion with one swift throw, with Ocotillo catching her just in the nick of time.

"I'm sorry," said Storm. "I wasn't trained in SandWing techniques."

A huge, dark shape they recognized as Morrowseer turned in midair and dove for them. Windracer flared out his wings in an attempt to make himself look bigger than he really was. _Pretend you're Arid,_ he said to himself. _Be confident. Speak with authority. Be fierce and tough and strong and smart._

 _Don't let them see how afraid you are._

The large NightWing landed on the pavilion with a thud and stood tall and imposing as he glared daggers at the dragonets.

"What are you doing here?" Windracer tried to sound demanding, but it came out as more of a squeak.

Instead of answering, Morrowseer turned to Blister and asked, "Where's the queen?"

"Below us," said Blister. "Throwing her silly romantic scrolls into the water." She flicked her tail towards Windracer. "Have you found his father?"

"We're still searching," Morrowseer replied. He finally shifted his gaze to Windracer. "Might as well deal with this filthy little half-breed now, while we can."

As if on cue, a dozen or so NightWings landed on the pavilion behind him. All were standing with the same imposition as Morrowseer, but there was something else Windracer noticed about them. They all looked painfully thin - he could see their ribs - and their eyes held hidden feelings of sadness and fear, a few even looked uncertain, or even reluctant.

"What did you do to them?" he asked without thinking.

"Nothing," growled Morrowseer. "There's nothing wrong with them."

"There is," Arid snapped. "Do you not see them? They're scared and vulnerable."

Morrowseer turned his head to the waters. "They should be."

"Not the SeaWings," said Windracer, chancing a step forward. "Your NightWings." He focused on the malnourished dragons, or rather, their minds.

 _Is that really him?_ _Killer's son?_

 _Why is he looking at me like that?_

 _Is he really as dangerous as Morrowseer says?_

 _Do we really have to kill him?_

 _He doesn't look very dangerous._

 _I really don't want to kill him._

 _We mustn't disappoint Battlewinner._

"Who's Battlewinner?" Windracer asked, his voice much more demanding than before.

The NightWings behind Morrowseer all stiffened with fear. _He really **can** read minds!_

"That's none of your concern," snapped Morrowseer.

"I'd like to know," hissed Blister. "Whoever this Battlewinner is, they sound exactly like the kind of dragon I need to tip the odds in my favor."

The malicious NightWing stood seething for what seemed like forever before he finally grumbled, "Battlewinner is our queen."

And then a whole swarm of visions flooded Windracer's mind. An exploding mountain, dragons falling in lava, Morrowseer ripping another NightWing's throat open, Arid in a cavernous prison screaming furiously through the bars, Auburn wielding a long spear in the middle of a battle, dragon blood everywhere.

There was so much, so many paths ahead, and most of them tending toward terrible violence. These scared and vulnerable NightWings had almost no chance at a peaceful future. Lied, liar, murdered, murderer; death and fear surrounded them with their vast wings, no matter what they did.

Was that the price of their deception? Had they already lost too much of their innocence to be worth saving?

"You're all dying," Windracer said. "Killer told Auburn that the home of the NightWings had a lot of volcanic activity. No dragon could live in a place like that, not with all the lava and smoke and fire killing everything else in the ecosystem."

"That's right," Morrowseer growled. "Queen Battlewinner and I wrote the prophecy together after the last eruption destroyed part of the fortress. We knew we'd need a new home soon, and the prophecy was our plan to get it."

"How?" Windracer asked, running the prophecy through his mind. "What does the Dragonet Prophecy have to do with where the NightWings live?"

"The idea was that we would control the dragonets," Morrowseer said. "By including a NightWing, who, naturally, would be the leader of the group. Your meaningless existence was our first problem. Then we'd choose a SandWing queen, and eventually the NightWings would join the war, with our strength in numbers tipping the balance so our ally would be sure to win."

"And then your ally, whoever you picked, would help you seize power," Windracer puzzled out. "It's all about you, but not in a way that anyone would have noticed. _Darkness will rise to bring the light_ \- that's the NightWings."

"Exactly. The only really important part of the prophecy; we couldn't be too obvious about it," said Morrowseer. Behind him, the other NightWings shifted their talons with guilty looks on their faces. "The rest of it? Smoke and mirrors."

"But his isn't," said Auburn, pointing a talon at her son. "His is real. You know it, we know it, everyone on Pyrrhia knows it."

"No one will follow a half-breed," Morrowseer growled. "That tainted SkyWing blood makes him weak."

"Windracer is not weak!" argued Arid. "He's the strongest dragon we know! If anyone around here is weak and pitiful, it's you! You're a liar and a killer, and I'd rather pull all of my spikes out, one by one, than be a part of any prophecy of yours!"

The NightWings behind Morrowseer all looked at each other with intrigued expressions.

An enormous crash sounded below them as something smashed into the pavilion.

"We have to get out of here," said Windracer. For once, he didn't care that he'd said it aloud instead of in his thoughts.

"Um," Bog's voice said behind them. "Guys? Do we know this dragon?"

They all turned and saw a large MudWing looming on the other side of the pavilion. Her brown wings were creased with soot and a horrible scar pulled down one corner of her mouth into a strange grimace.

Webs flicked his tail in surprise. "I do," he said. "She's with the Talons of Peace. She saved my life. Crocodile! What are you doing here?"

The MudWing chuckled. "Poor Webs. So wrong in so many ways." She stepped toward the group and gave the dragonets an appraising look. "These are the brats the Talons are so obsessed with? Scrawny." She lashed her tail. "But the NightWings want you, anyway."

"You're not working with the NightWings!" Webs cried.

"Of course I am," Crocodile said. "Who knew infiltrating the Talons of Peace would be so _useful_? I never thought I'd get the chance to follow an idiot SeaWing back to the secret palace we've been searching for all this time. Or try to, anyway. Turns out, the new queen of the SkyWings has no interest in fighting the war, unlike Scarlet. You slipped away before I could figure out which way you'd flown over the ocean. But, lucky me, I found the NightWings, who were searching for some pathetic half-breed dragonet who thinks everyone on Pyrrhia will just put the war on hold and listen to his silly little fantasies about peace and sunshine and flowers and butterflies and blech! Shrimpy little idiot!"

Windracer ducked to hide behind his mother.

"The NightWings wanted him," Crocodile said. "And I wanted to find the Summer Palace. So, we made a deal of sorts. Doesn't mean I got any closer to finding this secret place. But, lucky me, again, I got a tip from someone right here in the palace that you were here, and how to get here. And here we are now. I am _so_ getting a promotion."

"Who?" blurted Windracer. "Who told you how to get here?"

Lagoon spotted something dark green slinking away from behind the NightWings and cried, "Whirlpool!"

The oily SeaWing froze at the sound of his name.

"What is going on here?" a familiar voice demanded.

Everyone looked up to see Coral (and Anemone and Auklet) descending onto the pavilion from above. Whatever she'd been doing to help her subjects escape the burning palace safely, she seemed to be finished.

"Whirlpool tipped off our location to the NightWings!" Lagoon cried as he mother landed next to her.

"I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation," Coral began.

"You're right," said Whirlpool. "There is." He stepped out into the open, keeping himself a good distance away from Morrowseer, Blister, and Crocodile. He might have helped them find the dragonets, but he trusted those three no farther than he could throw the palace they stood on. "I was merely trying to ensure that Anemone dear would be queen."

"But why?" asked Bog.

"Well, frankly, I really don't want to marry _her_ ," Whirlpool said, pointing at Lagoon.

"Likewise," she snapped.

Whirlpool then lifted his talons and made a big show of examining them. "But, you see, I _do_ want to be king." He eyed his claws with contentment, clearly picturing them covered with dozens of bejeweled rings. "So I thought if I got rid of _you_ , I'd improve my chances of marrying a more agreeable daughter." He then eyed the two smaller princesses.

Anemone held Auklet to her chest as she ducked to hide under Coral's wings.

Lagoon stood seething at the greedy SeaWing for a moment before shouting, "That is the most disgusting thing I have ever heard in my life!"

"Doesn't matter," Whirlpool dismissed. "With you dragonets at the mercy of the NightWings, Queen Coral will let me have anything I want."

The SeaWing queen gawked at him, speechless for once. Windracer could see it in her eyes and mind, she'd never seen this side of Whirlpool before. All of those fantasies she had of him being a perfect king would always be just that, fantasies.

"You won't get away with this!" Riptide shouted.

"Don't you see?" said Whirlpool. An eel-like smile stretched across his snout, making him look even more twisted than he normally was. "I already have."

Finally, Coral gathered enough of herself to move. With an enraged shriek, she flung herself at the traitorous SeaWing, but he slipped through her claws and lifted off of the pavilion.

"It's funny," he said. "You seem to have a habit of always trusting the wrong dragons." He turned to fly out of the canopy, where Shark and several SeaWing guards were trying to ward off the attacking NightWings with narwhal spears.

"Stop him!" Windracer cried out, waving his talons to get the guards' attention. "Don't let Whirlpool escape!"

All of a sudden, faster than a dragon could blink, one of the guards' spears wrenched itself out of their talons and flew straight at the retreating SeaWing like a bolt of lightning. Whirlpool didn't have any time to react before the spear smashed into his side. He opened his mouth to scream, but nothing came out. He plummeted down like a rock, splashed into the lake, and was seen no more.

Feeling sick, Windracer stumbled to the edge of the pavilion and looked down for any sign of the oily SeaWing. Behind him, everyone craned their necks to try and get a glimpse. The SeaWing guard looked at his empty talons in bewilderment, wondering what had happened to his spear. The rippling water where Whirlpool had vanished was turning a very alarming shade of red, and in the center of it all was a dark, unmoving shape.

Shocked, Windracer collapsed, wide-eyed at what had just occurred. In all of the commotion, he'd completely forgotten about his animus magic. But he didn't ask anyone to kill Whirlpool, so why had the spear done just that?

 _Because I wasn't specific enough,_ he realized. Every other spell he cast had been worded out carefully, to avoid as many consequences as possible. But he never made it clear _how_ he wanted Whirlpool to be stopped.

 _He's dead because of **me.** I killed him._

Whirlpool definitely wasn't the nicest dragon, but the fact that he'd been killed by one of Windracer's spells made the hybrid rather nauseated. It didn't matter if it had been an accident - the SeaWing was dead, and Windracer had killed him.

The NightWings all stared at the young hybrid, appalled.

 _He just killed that SeaWing!_

 _He has magic!_

 _He reads minds!_

 _He can see the future!_

 _It can't be!_

 _What will he do next?_

 _What can we do?_

 _It's another Darkstalker!_

Windracer knew about Darkstalker. It was in the same scroll he read about Arctic and Foeslayer. Half NightWing and half IceWing, the son of an animus prince, hatched under the three full moons of a brightest night.

Mind-reading.

Precognition.

Animus magic.

The most powerful NightWing - no, the most powerful _dragon_ Pyrrhia had ever seen.

And Windracer had all the same powers as him.

 _The SkyWings killed off all of their animi over two thousand years ago,_ he remembered. And just like that, his brain was off and running. _Darkstalker never had any dragonets, but he had a sister - Whiteout. She must have had dragonets at some point, and then those dragons had dragonets of their own, and so on, until Killer and Auburn had me. That's where my magic comes from._ _I've been trying so hard to use my powers for all the right reasons, but how can I when all of these other dragons see me as a monster that has to be stopped? What if that's really what I am, and I don't know it?_

 _What if every mind I read, every vision I see, every spell I cast only brings me a step closer...to becoming like Darkstalker?_

He would have stayed in his thoughts forever if a set of talons hadn't pulled him back forcefully by the shoulders. The hybrid looked up at the dragon holding him and found it was a semi-brawny NightWing with a few missing teeth and a tail that was bent at the end, as if it had once been broken and then fixed incorrectly.

"Keep a hold on him, Preyhunter," commanded Morrowseer. Then, the rest of the NightWings, he bellowed, "Grab them all!"

For a moment, none of the NightWings moved. Were they startled by the sudden yell, or unwilling to follow the command?

Either way, they did as they were told. One NightWing grabbed Arid by the shoulders while a second pinned down her tail - her most deadly weapon. Coral knocked one of the NightWings away with her tail, only for three more to swoop in from above and pin her to the platform. They were coming in from all directions, abandoning the fight and going for the dragonets, and the dragons attempting to guard them.

"These skimpy little salamanders think they're so tough," Crocodile chuckled. "That they actually stand a chance in this war. How could you have bested Scarlet when you can't even take on a NightWing?"

"Well, lucky you," smiled Arid, quoting the MudWing's earlier words. "You're about to find out." Her jaws snapped open, and a burst of frostbreath erupted from the back of her throat, straight into Crocodile's eyes.

The MudWing screamed in agony and fell back, clawing at her snout, but the ice was already spreading across her face. She lunged blindly, knocking the NightWings away and falling onto Arid's tail. Both spikes and stinger pierced into her chest, she twitched and then went still.

"Enough of this!" shouted Morrowseer. He grabbed Arid by the neck, claws digging into her scales. "You dragonets were only ever important because of us, and we can destroy you just as easily!"

Windracer still felt nauseous from what had happened to Whirlpool, but he had to save Arid. He strained against Preyhunter's hold, but the NightWing held fast.

The next thing anyone knew, the waters below and the skies above were suddenly swarming with dragons. Red and orange SkyWings, green and blue SeaWings, brown MudWings, pale yellow SandWings, and the snow-white scales of a small talonful of IceWings.

At the front of it all was a cobalt-blue dragon with a white underbelly, grey claws, spikes around his neck like an IceWing but also stripes under his wings like a SeaWing. In his left ear was a snail-shell earring.

The hybrid raised his talon to point at Morrowseer, commanding in a bold voice, "Everyone! Save those dragonets!"

After that, it was chaos.

There were too many dragons fighting for Windracer to keep track of who pinned who, but eventually the cobalt dragon found his way onto the pavilion, among a small talonful of SkyWings and SeaWings, and struck Morrowseer in the head with his powerful tail. The NightWing stumbled, his grip on Arid loosening just enough for her to wriggle free.

Windracer looked over his shoulder at Preyhunter, who was distracted by all the commotion but retained his strong hold on the hybrid. Thinking quickly, Windracer set his wings ablaze.

Preyhunter jumped back in fear, releasing his grip and stumbling away. "H-how did you do that?!"

"Magic," Windracer said, matter-of-factly. He then turned and ran over to Arid, who was being helped to her feet by the blue hybrid.

She smiled, "Good timing, uh..."

"Typhoon," said the hybrid. "Sorry it took us as long as it did. We've been following the trail of you dragonets for quite some time, and picking up several others along the way."

"How did you find us?" asked Windracer.

"My mother heard from the other SeaWings that you were here," said Typhoon. "It's fortunate we weren't too late. You've inspired a lot of dragons on Pyrrhia, Windracer. They're all here fighting for you."

A shadow fell over the trio, and they looked up into the eyes of Blister. "You can't escape," she hissed.

Typhoon uttered out of the corner of his mouth, "Run," before tackling the SandWing princess. Then, to the other dragons, he shouted, "Get them out of here!"

Everyone took off into the sky, each with a pair of dragons flying beside them for protection.

Except for one.

Morrowseer rushed forward and managed to grab one of Arid's wings. The NightWing gave a mighty pull and flung her across the pavilion like a rag doll.

Windracer heard his girlfriend's cry of pain and turned back to help her. He was beaten by Ocotillo, who pounced onto Morrowseer's back and bit down on his neck as hard as he could. But the NightWing didn't so much as flinch. In the black-on-black scales, it was impossible to find a weak spot.

Arid leapt to her feet and slashed at Morrowseer's snout. The NightWing responded by grabbing Ocotillo and throwing him on top of her. Then he raised his head and opened his jaws, the glow of a fire burning in the back of his throat.

Windracer threw himself at the massive dragon, digging his claws into his neck and biting down hard on his ear. Morrowseer let out an enraged roar and reached up to pluck the hybrid dragonet off of himself. But Windracer wasn't going to give up that easily. He bit and scratched at every part of the NightWing that came at him, his eyes burning with fury and determination.

 _This is what I saw, back under the mountain,_ he realized. _This fight._

He blasted a stream of fire at Morrowseer's neck, but the NightWing stood firm. It was easy to tell that he'd fought against dragons far bigger and stronger than Windracer was. The hybrid wasn't even leaving a scratch on him.

Windracer turned at the sound of talons landing on the pavilion behind him. There was a SandWing standing over Ocotillo and Arid. For a brief, terrifying second, Windracer thought it was Blister, because of the pattern of black diamonds running down their spine. Then he realized that it couldn't be her, this SandWing's scales were pale gold, not yellow like Blister's, and the crest and wing membranes were a much darker color than hers.

"Are you alright?" the SandWing asked, their voice undeniably male.

Ocotillo pushed himself onto his feet and smiled. "I'm fine. Thank you, Diamondback."

Talons closed around Windracer's neck, and he choked out. Twisting around, he instinctively shot a blast of fire into Morrowseer's eyes. The NightWing's scales deflected most of the flames, but he recoiled at the heat and fanned at his eyes with his wings.

 _I can't win this fight,_ Windracer knew. _Not without my magic. And after what just happened..._

He slipped through Morrowseer's talons and headed for the open sky.

He barely got ten feet into the air when a horrible pain erupted in his left hind leg. Roaring in agony, he looked down and saw Morrowseer's teeth imbedded in his appendage. The hybrid flapped and flailed every which way to escape, but Morrowseer's jaws were too strong. He couldn't even loosen their grip.

The NightWing only let go when Typhoon came barreling in from out of nowhere and slammed into his side.

"Move it!" shouted the older hybrid.

Windracer didn't hesitate. Ignoring the pain that was still throbbing in his leg, he shot into the air after Arid and Ocotillo, who were being escorted out by Diamondback. He found Auburn, Lagoon, Bog, Storm, Webs, Marmoset and Mango among the fleeing dragons, each with a dragon from Typhoon's alliance on either side, blasting at and pushing away any NightWing that flew into their path.

But other NightWings were behind them. Windracer twisted just in time to see Riptide charging at Blister with a spear. The SeaWing shouted over the commotion, "Keep going!" before ducking to avoid the SandWing's striking tail.

So they all kept flying south, toward the continent, too shaken to even spare a glance back at the Summer Palace.

But none were more shaken than Windracer.

He could fly all across the continent, and further, but he had no chance of escaping. Morrowseer and Blister wouldn't stop trying to find him. Even if every dragon in Pyrrhia stood in their way, they'd only cease when Windracer was dead. He was a threat to them, and so long as he had his powers, they'd claim he was a threat to everyone else as well.

Maybe he could slip through their talons once again, but there was one thing he could never escape from, no matter how far he flew.

He would always be in Darkstalker's shadow.

* * *

 **How many of you were expecting Windracer to be kin to Darkstalker? I'll admit that I wasn't, and I'm the one writing this story! Just try to imagine how Windracer feels right now...**

 **Remember that the NightWings on the volcano have bacteria in their mouths that cause the bite wounds they inflict to become infected. And it's Windracer's back left leg that's hurt. I think you can see where this is going.**

 **Be sure to remember Diamondback, too. He's...kind of important.**

 **Auburn - Valka  
Windracer - Hiccup  
Arid - Astrid  
** **Lagoon - Heather  
Bog - Fishlegs  
Marmoset and Mango - Tuffnut and Ruffnut  
Killer - Stoick  
Inferno - Snotlout  
Scorch - Spitelout  
Frost - Dagur**


End file.
